


Crimson & Cobalt

by Shaymin_Skye



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Competition, Friendship, Love, M/M, Original Pokemon Region, Pokemon Battle, Pokemon Journey, Rivalry, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2018-10-02 05:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 41
Words: 187,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10210157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaymin_Skye/pseuds/Shaymin_Skye
Summary: Hello there. Welcome to the world of Pokémon. My name is Yakov. But everyone calls me the Pokémon Professor. This world is inhibited by creatures known as Pokémon. We humans live alongside Pokémon –“…Just get on with it already, old man!”---Pokémon AU with Yuri!!! On Ice characters!Join fifteen-year-old Yuri Plisetsky and his Litten on their quest to defeat all eight Gym Leaders of the Ibara Region, enter the Hall of Fame, and… take down an evil secret society? Tagging along for the ride are Champion Victor Nikiforov, Elite Four Yuuri Katsuki, and the mysterious rival, Otabek Altin.





	1. This Better Not Be A Dream, Damn It!

 

_Map of the Ibara Region_  

\---

 

Yuri Plisetsky stared intently at the signboard before him, taking in every word. _You are now leaving Arethusa Town,_ it said. _Route 1 ahead_.

This was it. The moment he had been waiting for. His very first steps out of the comfort of his hometown, into the world of Pokémon, as an official Pokémon Trainer. Everything he had been through was definitely worth it. Yes, even Professor Yakov’s agonizing ten-minute lecture on the basics of Pokémon Training and Pokémon Battling – although seriously, did that old man not know that everything he just said had already been covered in Trainers’ School? Sure, it had been years since Yuri graduated but still –

But still…

It was pretty cool of Professor Yakov to travel all the way from Chrysler City to Arethusa this early in the morning just for his sake. That Yuri could admit. 

And more importantly… 

Yuri looked down at the brand new Poké Ball in his hand. _I have a Pokémon now,_ he thought to himself, _I finally have a Pokémon to call my own._ Everything felt so surreal. Yet every fiber of his being was absolutely certain that this was not a dream. _This better not be a dream, damn it!_  

Taking a deep breath, he tossed the Poké Ball lightly into the air. “Go, Litten!”

The red-and-black Fire Cat Pokémon emerged from the Poké Ball and landed softly on the damp soil, its eyes darting around curiously at its surroundings. “Mrowr…” it purred.

“Come on Litten, we’re getting out of here. Let’s not waste anymore time –” 

A familiar voice interrupted him. “Yuri! Hey, Yuri!”

An older girl ran towards him, her deep red curls bouncing with every step. “Yuri! There you are! Thank god I made it!” 

“Jeez, Mila, don’t you have a Gym to run?”

“Oh come on, is this how you greet your best friend?” the girl whined. “I ran all the way here just to see you off, you ungrateful little squirt! Besides, It’s seven in the morning, Yuri! No one’s going to challenge me at seven in the morning… at least, I hope not. Anyway – oh wow, is that a Litten? It’s your first Pokémon, right? How adorable!” 

“Meh, it’s okay I guess…”

“Oh come on! Look how friendly it is! Look at those cute little paws! Seriously, Yuri, you should learn to embrace cute things more, you know? Don’t be such an emo edgelord all the time!”

“WHAT? Who says I’m an edgelord! I’m not an edgelord!” 

“Sure you aren’t,” Mila chuckled. “Aww, are you blushing? So you do think it’s cute! You should learn to be more in touch with your emotions, edgelord!”

“I-I’m going to beat you in battle the next time I see you, you hear me, old hag?”

“Sure you are,” said Mila. “I mean you have to, don’t you? Me and seven other Gym Leaders scattered across the region. You can only challenge the Elite Four after you defeat us. And you can only become the newest Pokémon League Champion and enter the Hall of Fame after you defeat the Elite Four and the current Champion as well.”

“I know that already!” Yuri snapped. “And you can bet your ass that I will!” The Pokémon League Champion… that had been Yuri’s goal since forever. The strongest Trainer in the region, admired by everyone, having explosive battles with formidable challengers all over the world… it sounded exactly like the kind of Trainer Yuri wanted to become.

“Sure you will,” sang Mila. “Well then, you better get going! Or rather, I better get going! Train and get stronger, yeah? Then we can have our nice little Gym battle. Where you might defeat me if you are lucky. But hey, what are the odds?”

“One thousand percent! I’m the one who’s going to win, alright?” Yuri retorted.

“We’ll see about that,” Mila grinned. “Your Fire-type Litten is no match for my Rock-types. And, one thousand percent? Seriously? How did you even graduate Trainers’ School in the first place?”

Yuri could not help but grin back. Annoying as she was, and as much as he hated to admit it, Yuri knew he was going to miss having her around.

\---

 

Yuri Plisetsky took a quick glance at the signboard before him, before looking down at his new partner beside him. The Litten gazed up expectantly at its new trainer, feeling just as excited. 

“Yuri! Hey, Yuri! Wait up!”

That voice… that familiar voice… he could recognize that voice anywhere…

“Grandpa!” Yuri exclaimed, jumping into his grandfather’s arms.

“Oh Yuri, I’m glad I made it in time!” said his grandfather, hugging him back. “Oh, is that your new Litten? How adorable! 

“Oh my god I know, right? Look at those cute little paws!” 

“I wanted to give these to you before you go,” said his grandfather. “They are roller skates. I got them from a friend in Kalos. Just attach them to the bottom of your regular shoes and you’re set! You can even do tricks, I heard.” 

Yuri gasped in joy, sliding on the skates at once. Litten jumped instinctively onto his shoulder. He did a 360-spin, marveling at how smooth the motion felt. “That felt amazing! Don’t you agree, Litten?”

The Pokémon purred in delight.

“Looks like Litten enjoyed that too! They are perfect! Thanks Grandpa!”

“Well then, you look all ready to go, my Yuractchka!”

“Right! We’re off now! Good-bye Grandpa!”

_And good-bye Mila, and good-bye Arethusa Town. Come on Litten, we’re getting out of here! Let’s not waste any more time. Our very own Pokémon adventure is about to unfold. Who knows what adventures we’ll face? Who knows what awaits us out there?_

Yuri Plisetsky had waited five painful years for this glorious moment, and he could not wait any longer.


	2. Who In The World Has That Kind Of Money? (Part I)

Yuri could not stop zipping around in his new roller skates. The feeling of going fast and becoming one with the wind was way too awesome for words. With his skates, he could get to his first destination – Blumenschmidt City – in no time.

Even so, Yuri did not want to set foot into Blumenschmidt just yet. He was content for now to remain in Route 1, the short, grassy path that connected Arethusa Town and Blumenschmidt City. _Do not walk in tall grass._ That was the number one rule of Trainers’ School. _Wild Pokémon may appear in tall grass and attack you. Unless you’re a Trainer of course, in which case, you’ll have your Pokémon with you for protection._

_Well, the rules don’t apply to me, suckers! I’m a Pokémon Trainer now!_

A slight rustling could be heard from the patch of grass next to him, and Yuri instinctively spun round. A wild Pidgey!

“Go Litten!”

Litten sprung out of its Poké Ball, its eyes bright with anticipation. 

“Use Scratch!”

Sharp claws extended from Litten’s paws as it charged towards the wild Pidgey. With all its strength, Litten swung one of its paws at the Pidgey, scratching it and knocking it down momentarily.

It was not enough. The Pidgey got up to its feet, shaking off the damage. It flapped its wings vigorously, conjuring up a small yet strong gust of wind. The Fire Cat Pokémon shivered as the wind whipped around it, its claws digging into the ground for support. Yuri knew that if Litten were to move headfirst towards the Pidgey to get a Scratch off again, it would risk getting blown off its feet, right into the large tree behind it. And that would be disastrous.

Unfortunately for its opponent, Scratch was not the only move that Litten knew.

“Stand your ground, Litten! Use Ember!” shouted Yuri.

“Mrowr!” Small, orange balls of flames spewed from Litten’s mouth, setting the wild Pidgey ablaze. As a Special Move, Ember did not require Litten to make contact with Pidgey in order to damage it, unlike Scratch, which was a Physical Move. It was perfect for Litten’s current situation. Defeated, the Tiny Bird Pokémon gave a terrified squawk and retreated back to the tall grass.

“All right! We did it, Litten!” Yuri cheered, pumping his fists triumphantly in the air. Their very first wild Pokémon battle ended up in a victory!

Of course, Yuri took part in a couple of battles before and even won some of them, but that was way before he became an official Trainer, with rental Pokémon from Trainers’ School and teachers guiding his every move, so they totally did not count.

This time round though, he was finally on his own, and Litten was his very own Pokémon. So the victory felt a little different. Sweeter, somehow. Much, much, sweeter.

That being said, it was Litten’s very first battle in all its life, and yet it performed splendidly. With every battle, Litten, as with any other Pokémon, would gain experience and grow stronger. Its stats would increase and it would learn moves with greater damage potential. At a certain level, it would evolve, attaining an even more powerful form. Yuri could not wait for the day his Litten evolved to an Incineroar, its third and final stage. And when that day comes, he would be one more step closer to standing on the same stage with the best of the best…

Yuri clenched his fists in determination. Time for more grinding in Route 1. Train and get stronger. _Train and get stronger._

\---

 

It was five in the evening when Yuri set foot into Blumenschmidt City, making a beeline to the Pokémon Center. Litten needed to get all healed up from all the damage it took from the various wild Pokémon earlier in the day.

“Good evening, and welcome to the Pokémon Center,” said the nurse at the counter. “Here, we restore your tired Pokémon to full health. Would you like to –”

“Umm yes? That’s why I’m here right?” said Yuri.

“O-okay. I'll take your Pokémon for a while, then. Thank you for waiting.”

Yuri handed over Litten’s Poké Ball and sank into a nearby couch. He hated to admit it, but he was feeling utterly worn out. After all those battling and dashing around with his roller skates, it was hard not to be.

Or was it? Was this kind of fatigue normal for a fifteen-year-old?

Yuri gazed down at his sneakers with the roller skates still strapped on them (even though there was supposedly a no-skating rule in buildings, but no one seemed to care, anyway). _Please legs, don’t die on me now. Not now, not ever._

He pushed the doubts out of his head. Today had been a long, action-packed day. It had been a long time since Yuri felt excitement like that. He was just tired, that was all.

Five minutes later, Litten was restored back to full health. “We hope to see you again!” said the nurse at the counter. “By the way, roller skates are not allowed –”

_Oh so they do notice._

_…_

_Oh crap._

Yuri hastily gave a quick nod as thanks, collected Litten’s Poké Ball, and dashed out of the Pokémon Center into the bustling city. Where should he go next? There were so many things to see and do. Blumenschmidt City was the gateway for Trainers all over the world into the Ibara Region, after all. It had an airport, a port and a railway station. There was also the Ibara Information Center and it was just across the street – a gray, single-storey building with a Pikachu cardboard standee at the entrance, holding up a banner that read, _Welcome to the Ibara Region!_

Yuri went inside and took a quick look-around, because why the hell not, right? It seemed that there was nothing but guidebooks, guidebooks and more guidebooks. _This handy guide_ _has everything a tourist or a new Trainer needs,_ claimed one of them, _from a list of all the must-try all-you-can-eat restaurants to the best sightseeing spots. It even has a Town Map attached, complete with the locations of where your favorite Pokémon can be found in the wild!_ Yuri was born and bred in Ibara, but it was his first time traveling the region on his own nonetheless, so a guidebook would be pretty useful. 

Or, he could just not care about following what some dumb book told him to do – like what was he, a nerd? – and head to the Blumenschmidt Port Market instead. He had been there a long time ago with his parents and grandfather, and they had a great time, returning home with shopping bags filled to the brim with delicious snacks, cool outfits, and Poké Dolls (because they were on sale, not because he liked stuffed toys or anything). But unlike last year, he was a Trainer now. Besides the food and clothes, there might be other items for sale that could potentially be useful to him on his journey.

The choice was obvious. _Off to Blumenschmidt Port Market, then._

\---

Yuri went for the clothes first.

Yes, he knew that he should stock up on Potions and Antidotes and whatnot as a Responsible Pokémon Trainer; it had been drilled repeatedly into his head by his teachers in Trainers’ School, after all. _But seriously,_ Yuri reasoned, _was there really a need to? Like, isn’t there a Pokémon Center in every town and city? One trip there can restore my Pokémon’s health to full and cure it of all status ailments, free of charge. Plus, I have my roller skates. I can travel to and fro any Pokémon Center whenever I want in a jiffy. So it’s not like I’ll be wasting a lot of time healing my Pokémon that way. I just need to make sure I remember to take my skates off every time I enter so that they won’t blacklist me or chase me out or something._

In any case, Yuri never planned to spend any money on these so-called 'Trainer Essentials' anyway.

That particular Liepard-print jacket though, that was a different story.

It was love at first sight. The jacket was dark purple and had Liepard’s signature yellow spots printed all over, save for its black hood and black leather sleeves. Yuri knew at once that it would go well with his black T-shirt, black ripped jeans, black sneakers, and black sling backpack.

“I want this. Now.” said Yuri to the storeowner, a burly middle-aged man.

“Ah, this Leather Hoodie in the design Cruel? Sure thing, young lad. We’ll throw in a matching Street Cap in the design Cruel as well.” The storeowner held up a black baseball cap with a Liepard-print brim. Yuri’s jaw dropped. It was the most beautiful cap he had even seen in his entire life.

“How much is all of this?” Yuri asked, excitement bubbling through his veins.

“Just ₽20000.”

“WHAT? ₽20000? Who in the world has that kind of money? That’s daylight robbery!”

“Hey kid, it’s reasonable,” said the storeowner. “You’re a Trainer right? You guys are supposed to be loaded. Don’t you guys, you know, have Pokémon battles and win prize money from your opponent all the time? Unless you’re telling me you lose all your battles –”

“No way! But that’s unfair! I just started out today! You’re being unfair to new Trainers like me!”

“But you look too old to be a rookie –”

That did it. Yuri reached his breaking point. “Whatever! I don’t want it any more!” he shouted, storming off. He could not believe what just happened. If only he had started his journey five years ago, instead of today! If only that were the case… then at this point of time… he would most definitely have more than enough money for the jacket. Maybe even money to buy all the jackets he so desired. It was just too unfair. The world was too unfair! 

And it was such a cool jacket too…

Yuri took a deep breath to calm himself down. ₽20000… was actually not a lot of money, come to think of it. He already had ₽3000 in his wallet. Like what the storeowner had said, he just needed to find a couple of new Trainers to own in battle and win their cash. His Litten should be a couple of levels higher than whatever the average greenhorn Trainer could throw at him, thanks to their little training session earlier on in Route 1. Winning should be a piece of cake. Not only that, Litten would gain experience from the battles as well. Yes, that sounded like a pretty good plan, now that Yuri thought about it.

He returned once again to the store. “Hey! How long would you be here for?” He knew that the stores in the Port Market were only temporary arrangements; the storeowners set up shop when their ships arrive at port and pack up when their ships depart. It was a traders’ market, after all. He hoped that he could complete his goal by the time the storeowner left for the next port.

“Oh, maybe another day more? At most two?” replied the storeowner, slightly amused at Yuri’s antics. 

“Alright! I’ll come back again! Wait for me!” said Yuri, dashing off at once. There was no time to lose; he had to find a hostel and get a good night’s sleep so that he could have enough energy for tomorrow. When morning came, he would set his get-rich-quick plan into full motion. _I can do this._ _₽20000 in two days. I have to do this._


	3. Who In The World Has That Kind Of Money? (Part II)

Dawn broke the next day. At once, Yuri woke up, made his necessary preparations, and dashed out of his hostel onto the streets of Blumenschmidt City. He had no time to lose. He needed badly to acquire ₽20000 within two days. He could do this. He had to do this.

 _All this effort for a mere jacket?_ said Yuri’s voice of reason. _You know we still have a long way to go before we reach the Elite Four, right? Don’t you think we shouldn’t be sidetracking right now?_

 _It’s the best-looking jacket in the world,_ said the rest of Yuri’s brain. _It’ll fit perfectly with our ensemble. Don’t we want to travel the region in style? Don’t we want to look the coolest we can while winning battle after battle with our cool Pokémon? Isn’t that like, our whole aesthetic?_

_…Point taken._

\---

 

Yuri knew that there would not be many Trainers looking for battle in the city itself. They would tend to gather on the various Routes, where wild Pokémon would be abundant. So he headed off towards Route 2 in the northwest direction, a sea route connecting Blumenschmidt and Kiftsgate City. Of course, Yuri had no means of crossing the sea, having no boat or ship or any Pokémon that could use Surf, but the shore should suffice. Lasses, Youngsters, Tubers… those would be his prime targets. Battle them, win handily, and get their prize money, rinse and repeat.

The only problem was…

The beach was empty.

It seemed like Yuri was too early, and the general population had not woken up yet. _Those slackers! Don’t they realize that the time they spend snoozing happily in bed could be better spent training and battling? Specifically, battling me? Oh wait, of course they don’t; that’s why they haven’t accomplished anything worthwhile as Trainers yet._

(Yuri too, had not accomplished anything worthwhile as a Trainer, but he reasoned that at least he was putting in more effort than the others.)

Yuri was about to head back towards the city when…

“Hey you! Young lad over there! The one with the blonde hair!”

Yuri turned immediately to the direction of the voice. It belonged to a tall man with spiky orange hair, wearing a white polo shirt with a badge that said, _Ibara Information Center_.

“Hi! It’s unusual to see someone up so early in the morning!” said the man cheerfully. “I’m from the Ibara Information Center. Could you do me a favor?”

“Nope, do it yourself.”

“I’ll pay you.”

“I’m on it. What’s my task?” 

“Well you see, we at the Information Center have a job of ensuring that tourists get the best first impression of the region. We’re like ambassadors, essentially. So keeping the Blumenschmidt area clean is one of our duties, and that includes the beach we are at now. But you see, there’s this particular Pokémon called Pyukumuku,” The man pointed a small Pokémon a few meters away. Yuri scuttled over to take a closer look. It was black and oval, with pink spikes and a fluffy white tail. 

“This particular Pokémon often get washed onto shore for some reason,” the man continued. “Tourists have complained about them looking ugly and ruining their photos or something. So we have no choice but to throw them all back to the sea, before everyone else wakes up.” The man picked up the Pyukumuku and tossed it gently into the waves. “There you go, little one. Some might feel that it’s mean to the Pyukumuku, but the species get their food primarily from the ocean anyway, so it’s a win-win situation for us and them, actually.”

“And you’re asking me to do it because…”

“I have another important errand to run today,” the man explained. “Which is why I need your help! I’ll reward you with ₽20000 for all your effort. It might not be much but…”

…

No.

Freaking.

Way.

Yuri could not believe what he just heard. What a stroke of luck! That was exactly the amount he needed, no more, no less. Did the universe suddenly take pity on him, and decided to repay him for the all the injustice they did to him over all those years? Who cares? It was about damn time, anyway! To think that he would accomplish his goal in just one day, without needing to battle anyone at all!

“I’m on it!” said Yuri, cracking his knuckles. “You bet I’ll be done by the time you get back!”

\---

 

On first glance, Pyukumuku chucking seemed like a simple enough task. 

 _I mean, how hard could it be?_ Yuri thought at first, as he bent down to pick up his very first Pyukumuku. He was no stranger to holding Pokémon in general, but the Sea Cucumber Pokemon just felt unlike anything he had ever touched. It was squishy, sticky, and slimy, a stark contrast to Litten’s warm fur, or even his grandfather’s fluffy Delcatty. It kind of reminded him of… sunscreen, somehow? Well, he was on the beach, and the sun was indeed starting to rise…

 _No time to lose._ Yuri gingerly lifted the Pyukumuku off the sand with both hands, trying his very best not to drop it. He walked over to the edge of the beach where the waves hit the shore, brought the Pyukumuku close to his chest and with all his might, threw the Pyukumuku up in the air and out in the direction of the sea before him. The small black Pokémon flew in a parabola before landing into the water with a splash. _All right,_ Yuri thought to himself with a triumphant grin. _One down, one hundred and ninety-nine more to go._

To Yuri’s own surprise, he was having quite a bit of fun with his task. He got used to the sliminess after a while, and he figured that he could go about his task more efficiently by holding one Pyukumuku in each hand and throwing two at one go, rather than one at a time, since these Pokémon were pretty lightweight, and it was not like he could miss his target, with the sea being so vast and all. He just needed to get a firm grip on the Pyukumuku’s body without touching its mouth or its pink spikes, for doing so, as Yuri found out the hard way, would cause the Pyukumuku to expel a thick, white, not-quite liquid that spilled onto Yuri’s hand and all over the sand – was it spit? The food it ate two days ago? It did not seem like it was venom, for the Information Booth guy would have warned him if it were. Whichever the case, it was utterly disgusting, and Yuri swore on his life to take extra care to not let that happen again.

A few hours passed, and the tide came in and brought along with it a new batch of ten or so Pyukumuku. Yuri sighed in dismay. By that time, he was starting to get tired of the monotony of chucking. He definitely needed more help. Without further ado, he called Litten out of its Poké Ball.

“Hey Litten, I want you to help me with all the Pyukumuku in this area, okay? Gather them here,” Yuri pointed to the spot just beside him, “and I’ll do all the throwing. That should help speed things up a bit,”

“Mrowr?” Litten purred, its eyes wide and its head cocked slightly to the side. That was perhaps… the most angelic look Yuri had ever seen from Litten. If Mila were beside him, she probably would have fainted from cuteness overdose.

_But unfortunately for you, my friend, it had no effect on me. Unlike Mila, I am strong. I am impervious to all your tricks and charms._

“H-hey, I know what you’re doing, okay? D-don’t you play dumb with me you little ass! Can’t you help a desperate Trainer out? Specifically, YOUR desperate Trainer?" 

“…Mrowr?" 

“Okay, f-fine! You can sit this one out, I guess. You don’t really like the beach much, huh, being a Fire-type and all. But you’re going to work extra hard during training from now on, okay?” 

Litten jumped happily onto Yuri’s shoulder and licked his face.

 _We did not just fall for that_ , said Yuri’s voice of reason.

 _It was a highly thought-out decision, okay?_ the rest of Yuri retorted. _We’re making sure that Litten does not get too worn out because… umm… you never know when we might encounter a Trainer, right? We’re looking at the big picture and planning ahead for… umm… our long-term goals!_

_Long-term goals? We spent the entire morning chucking Pyukumuku just for a jacket!_

_Exactly! If we want to be Champion, we must start looking like one._

\---           

 

“Wow! Not one Pyukumuku left on the beach! You did a fine job, kid!” 

At ten in the morning, Yuri stood at the edge of the beach, admiring his handiwork. The tourists were just starting to stream in, and they were met with nothing but fine clean sands, and an unobstructed view of the vast sea. Yuri never felt more exhausted, yet he never felt more accomplished. _Leather Hoodie in the design Cruel, here I come._ Sure, it might be just be a petty jacket (okay not really), and a small side quest in the grand scheme of things, and well, he did get pretty lucky with landing this particular job, but a goal completed was a goal completed nonetheless. He eagerly received his reward – a grand total of ₽20000, as promised. With the money safely in his wallet, Yuri put on his skates, and dashed towards –

_CRASH!_

“Oww…” groaned Yuri as he landed on his rear onto the hard pavement. “My god, watch where you are going, you asshole…”

“…I beg your pardon?”

The guy Yuri knocked into looked about eighteen or nineteen, with his dark hair styled in an undercut. He had a faint, red bruise on his forehead but he seemed mostly unharmed by the impact.

“How the hell did you get in my way?” said Yuri, getting back to his feet. What a mood killer! “You better apologize or else!”

“Or else what? You were the one who bumped into me in the first place,” said the other guy, his voice firm despite being muffled by his scarf. “I will not apologize. You, on the other hand…”

 _That stubborn asshole!_ Yuri clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with anger. It was totally the other guy’s fault. Being on roller skates, it was way harder for Yuri to change direction at such short notice, whereas the guy could have easily cleared the path for him by simply just stepping to the side. 

Although just yesterday, he did manage to maneuver around throngs of people on the streets of Blumenschmidt without bumping into anyone… 

And perhaps, just perhaps… he might be too caught up in the excitement of finally getting his dream jacket…

…

_Damn it!_

_But… there’s just no way I’m going to apologize to an asshole like him!_  

“Hey,” said the other guy, snapping Yuri out of his thoughts. “We can always settle this with a Pokémon Battle. You’re a Trainer, right?”

Yuri flinched. His opponent looked… strong. As if he had years of experience under his belt. He did not know if he could win this.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes then,” said the guy. “Go, Bulbasaur!”

A small, blue-green Pokémon with a green bulb on its back emerged from the Poké Ball the other guy just threw, looking eager to battle. Yuri could not believe his eyes. A Bulbasaur? Like Litten, that was a common starter Pokémon for new Trainers. Was his opponent a rookie Trainer too? All this while, he always thought that beginning his journey at fifteen was already too late, much too late in fact. But apparently, there were people out there who started out even later. 

 _Dreams of traveling with Pokemon… growing with Pokemon… they don’t exactly die out, do they?_

Yuri’s grudging respect for his opponent was immediately replaced by the realization that he had a good chance to win, and a fairly good chance too. Litten’s Fire-type moves were super-effective against the Grass-and-Poison type Bulbasaur. Not only that, Litten was a Fire-type itself, and moves of the same type would deal additional damage to its opponents. There was no way Bulbasaur would survive the incoming onslaught.

“Go, Litten! Ember!”

It was Yuri’s first battle with another Trainer (the ones with rental Pokémon totally did not count) and he was determined to come out of it victorious. _Too bad for you, asshole,_ he thought, _I’m not going to hold back._

Litten’s fur bristled and turned red-hot, as it shot bolts of fire from its mouth. The fireballs landed directly onto Bulbasaur, scorching it. Not quite enough to leave a burn, but the damage was certainly significant, for Bulbasaur could barely stand after the ordeal. _That, my friend, was the result of all that grinding done on Route 1,_ thought Yuri, with a satisfied smirk. _How did you like it?_ It was much, much stronger than the Ember Litten used during the very first wild Pidgey battle, and it definitely showed.

“Hey! You might want to take your scarf off, if you can’t take the heat!” Yuri scoffed.

“I won’t,” said his opponent calmly, “for the heat stops here. Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder.”

The struggling Bulbasaur managed to expel a greenish powder from its bulb, spraying it all over Litten. Litten’s eyes, once blazing bright, suddenly went blank. Its eyelids started getting heavy and…

It dozed off, right on the spot! In the middle of battle!

“No! Litten!” Yuri exclaimed. He was starting to panic. Sleep Powder, like its name suggested, put the opponent to sleep. Which meant that Litten would be out of commission until it woke up. It could not attack, it could not defend itself… it could not do anything! 

“Sheer power and type advantageous matchups do not guarantee you a win,” said the other guy, “especially not against a sound strategy! Bulbasaur, Leech Seed!”

A seed was released from Bulbasaur’s bulb and it landed right onto Litten. At once, vines sprouted from the seed, wrapping around the Fire Cat Pokémon. However, it was too busy snoozing to notice. 

“Wh-What’s happening?” Yuri asked, despair slowly creeping into him.

“Leech Seed drains your Pokémon’s energy and gives it to Bulbasaur,” said the other guy. “As you speak, your Litten’s health is slowly being sapped away. Whereas my Bulbasaur… my Bulbasaur is slowly being healed up from the damage you dealt to it just now.”

It was true. Yuri knew that his eyes were not playing tricks on him when he saw that Bulbasaur, on the verge of fainting just minutes ago, was looking more and more energetic as the battle progressed. Whereas his Litten... his poor Litten, still fast asleep… Yuri could see its fur slowly losing its glow, its ears starting to droop, its paws shriveling…

Yuri’s heart wrenched at the sight of his friend suffering like that. But what could he do? He rummaged through his bag but the items pocket was completely empty. No Potions, no Awakenings, zero, zip, zilch. There was literally nothing he could use to improve his current predicament.

 _Oh, is this regret we’re feeling?_ said his voice of reason. _They’re not called 'Trainer’s Essentials' for nothing…_

Yuri could only stare in helpless silence as his opponent ordered Tackle after Tackle from his Bulbasaur, who rammed repeatedly into Litten as the Fire Cat Pokémon took the full brunt of each and every blow. It was too painful to watch.

“Wake up, Litten…” Yuri murmured. “You need to wake up… Please, wake up…” 

Litten woke up! 

There was still hope –

“Bulbasaur, Tackle.”

And… Litten fainted.

That was the end of Yuri’s first Trainer battle.

“I won. So, are you going to apologize now?”

“I’m sorry…” Yuri apologized, but not to his opponent.

“You might have won if you had an Awakening or a Chesto Berry,” his opponent pointed out. “But I’m sure you know that right? I saw you looking through your bag just now.” 

“…”

“Well then, that was a pretty good fight. See you around.”

“…" 

The other guy recalled his Bulbasaur to its Poké Ball and started to leave.

“Hey,” said Yuri. “What’s your name?”

“…Otabek Altin.”

“Otabek, huh? I’m Yuri Plisetsky. Let’s be rivals.”

“A rivalry?” said Otabek. “I… I have no need for that sort of thing.” With that, he turned around and walked away. 

Then all of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks. 

“You… changed your mind?” asked Yuri incredulously. 

“Umm… no. Not at all. It’s not about that. It’s just that… I just remembered that the winner of Trainer battles are entitled to half of their opponent’s money, as per the traditions of the Ibara Region. So if you would please…”

… 

 _Oh. Right. This is a thing._  

 _What is half of_ _₽_ _23000?_ _₽_ _11500._

…

_…_

_…_

_That is… definitely not enough to pay for the jacket._

\---

 

At ten-thirty in the morning, Yuri stood dazedly at the edge of the city, cradling his fallen partner in his arms. He felt nothing. The pain of reality just had not sunken in yet. His mind stopped processing the moment he gave up his cash, and along with it, his hopes and dreams.

 _I… I’m not supposed to be here right now._ A single thought that was somehow able to materialize despite the emptiness.

Fighting back tears, Yuri rushed to the Pokémon Center, further protecting his Litten from harm.

He could do this, at least.


	4. Who In The World Has That Kind Of Money? (Part III)

It was a beautiful day in the Ibara Region. The sun was shining, the Chatot were singing, and the skies were blue.

For Otabek Altin, that was. Probably.

For Yuri Plisetsky, the day started off fantastic, and then it all went downhill from there.

It was crazy how quickly sheer rage took over the boy’s initial state of shock.

_That asshole Otabek! What the hell did he mean by ‘I have no need for that sort of thing’? Did he not consider me worthy as a rival? Did he even consider anyone worthy to be his rival in the first place? What an arrogant, pompous, asshole! There was no way he was just starting out! No ordinary rookie trainer could think of a strategy like that! What was he, some secret Elite Four member from another region?_

Although… his Bulbasaur was rather weak, and had Litten not succumbed to the Sleep Power and fired off another Ember, Yuri would have won handily…

Also, there existed entire websites and television programs dedicated to the art of Pokémon strategy and battling. Even Trainers’ School covered some of the basics. That asshole could have just tuned in to _Battle Zone 101_ on Channel 55 one fateful Saturday night and the rest was history…

And who in the world would forget to claim their prize money anyway, unless the Trainer in question did not have much experience battling?

 _Whatever, there was no way in hell he was just starting out,_ thought Yuri. (To say that he was not the most graceful loser out there… was definitely an understatement.)

“Yuri Plisetsky!” It was the Pokémon Center nurse. 

Yuri rushed over to the counter and the nurse handed him Litten’s Poké Ball. “Thank you for waiting. We’ve restored your Pokémon to full health. We hope to see you again!”

Thank god Litten ended up fine. If anything bad happened to his friend, Yuri would never forgive himself.

“Come on out, Litten!”

Litten emerged from its Poké Ball, looking chipper and refreshed. 

“I’m glad you’re all recovered,” said Yuri, cracking a smile. “That asshole Otabek, am I right? The next time we see them, we’re going to own them so hard, aren’t we?” 

“…”

Yuri knelt down to meet Litten’s eyes, took out a chocolate-flavored Poké Puff from his bag and placed it in front of the Pokémon.

“I… I got you this from the Poké Mart,” said Yuri, his voice quivering. “The man at the counter said you would like it. Here, eat up.”

Litten sniffed the Poké Puff and prodded it gingerly. It licked off the cream at the top and before long, it started to wolf down the Poké Puff with large, voracious bites.

“You like it, don’t you?” giggled Yuri, his heart at ease. “Here, have another one,” 

Litten’s eyes lit up in delight as Yuri fed him another Poké Puff, this time strawberry-flavored.

“Will you… will you forgive me for losing, after eating this?” Yuri murmured. “I… I overestimated my abilities. I didn’t think I needed items. I thought the Pokémon Center was enough. But now I know. In Trainer battles where it’s impossible to flee, these items are really crucial, aren’t they? These items are the difference between winning and losing.”

“Mrowr?” Litten looked at him inquisitively, licking cream off its paws.

“I got too overconfident. It’s… a bad habit of mine actually. I know I still have so much more to learn. Pokémon battling… it’s not just about the type advantage and the level advantage, is it? That’s what Otabek told me as well. There’s a whole wide world of tactics and move combinations out there, way beyond anything I learnt in Trainers’ School. And there’re so many Pokémon out there that I’ve yet to encounter. In order to beat Otabek… in order to become Champion… I need to know all of it at my fingertips.”

 _It_ _’_ _s through experiencing_ _victories and setbacks, it’s through experiencing this world as Trainers that we grow and learn, together with our Pokémon._ Yuri was suddenly reminded of those words, said to him a long, long time ago, which seemed to have stuck with him even until now.

“You’ll stick with me, won’t you, Litten? I… I want to grow stronger together with you!” 

The Fire Cat Pokémon mewed in joy. It felt the same way too.

\---

 

At midday, Yuri headed down to the shore once more. After getting over the devastating loss, Yuri figured that his situation was not as bad as he made it out to be. After all, he still had one-and-a-half days left, and he already had more than half of the required sum of ₽20000 for his jacket. He should not give up just yet.

Plus, he had a Plan A. Battle Trainers, win their money, rinse and repeat.

He encountered his first opponent the moment he set foot onto the sand. “Our eyes met!” said Lass Pamela, “Which means we have to battle! Go Seedot!”

“Go, Litten!” Yuri commanded. “Ember!” 

The battle ended in a flash. Yuri won, of course. After Lass Pamela paid him his winnings (a mere ₽200, but Yuri would take whatever he could right now), he proceeded to defeat six other Trainers in a row. Some of the Trainers even had multiple Pokémon, but Litten just steamrolled through their entire teams.

“Hey,” said Yuri to his latest opponent, a Youngster named Jimmy. “Is this the best you’ve got?”

“Yup! You’re really strong big bro!” Jimmy replied enthusiastically. He seemed completely unfazed by his loss.

“I just shat all over your team.” Yuri said pointedly. _Just like what Otabek did to me._ “Why are you still so happy?”

“I just like battling,” said Jimmy with a shrug. “Just for fun, you know? I don’t care who wins or loses. And by the way, please don’t say that word. My mom says it’s bad.”

“Then how are you ever going to become Champion that way?”

“Champion? I never wanted to become that! I just want to have fun with my Pokémon, hanging out in places I like, meeting new friends. That sort of thing, you know?” 

“Did your mom say anything about ‘ambition’?” said Yuri.

“Ambipom? That’s Aipom’s evolved form right? I heard that it can grab things with its tail…”

“Just… shut up, Jimmy.”

“My mom says it’s rude –”

“Close your mouth and stop talking." 

Yuri knew he was being mean to the kid, but he did not care. His mind was too preoccupied with his thoughts. _Huh…_ _so in turned out that the guy named Otabek was just an exception. He was definitely not representative of the average Trainer skill level in this area. Secret Elite Four member from another region, confirmed?_

 _But then again, the average Trainer in this area isn’t really planning to aim for the top, huh?_ Most of them probably just wanted to have a nice vacation with their Pokémon, just like Youngster Jimmy. Yuri was not the greatest fan of that sort of Trainer life but he could somewhat understand why Jimmy would choose that path. Sure, winning against him felt great, amazing even, especially after the loss earlier, but something did not sit quite right with Yuri. It was not only about becoming better than others. That was important to his goals, but it was not enough for him. Rather, he wanted to become better than the person he was the day before. That was what growing stronger was all about.

Yuri knew that if he wanted to get stronger, he had to get the hell out of Blumenschmidt and further into the Ibara Region, further away from home. He would need to battle worthy Trainers, Trainers that actually gave him a challenge, Trainers who would fight tooth and nail with him for that single, coveted seat at the top of the Pokémon League. That way he could learn from them, and improve his knowledge and skills bit by bit.

In other words… Trainers like Otabek Altin. Probably. He still did not know what Otabek’s goals or motivations were, after all.

Yuri still could not fathom why Otabek did not want to be rivals with him. But whatever. If the rivalry were one-sided on his part, all the better for him. It would give him the extra push he required, to propel him one step closer to his ultimate goal. Otabek would gain nothing.

And that might just be the advantage he needed to win their next confrontation. 

_Wait a minute… did that guy just ruin ordinary Pokémon Trainers for me?_

Yuri did not know whether to curse or thank that asshole.

\---

 

Yuri was also aware that while Litten was indeed growing stronger after each battle thanks to the experience it gained, one Pokémon for the whole of his journey around the Ibara Region was never going to be enough. He would need a strong team of six fighters in order to even stand a chance against the best Trainers in the region. As a Fire-type, Litten would fare poorly against Water, Rock or Ground-Type Pokémon. If Yuri had a Grass-type in his team for example, he could switch Litten out from harm’s way and subsequently obliterate his opponents with super-effective moves.

Of course, like what Otabek showed him, type advantages were not everything in battle, and there were many other strategies that a Trainer could use to overcome a type disadvantage. Still, because super-effective moves dealt double the damage as compared to normally effective moves, using them to take out the opponents’ Pokémon was by and large the most efficient way to win. For example, a move that dealt neutral damage could bring an opponent down to half health. However, if the move were super-effective instead, it would instantly hundred-to-zero the same opponent. This would completely eliminate the opponent’s chance to attack and deal damage to the ally Pokémon. It ensured that the ally Pokémon would be fighting fit for the next challenge.

Which was why Yuri was glad that along with the Poké Puffs for Litten and some essential items, he also bought a Poké Ball from the Poké Mart earlier that day. (Only one, for he did not want to spend more than he needed on stuff that was not the jacket.) The shore was chock-full of Water-Type Pokémon, and Yuri had a good mind to capture one and make it a member of his team. It would help greatly in the upcoming battle against Mila, his childhood friend and the Gym Leader of Arethusa Town, who specialized in Rock-Types.

Yuri hoped that he could still remember what he learnt from Trainers’ School on how to capture a Pokémon.

_Step One: Throw the Poké Ball._

_Step Two: ???_

_Step Three: Capture complete?_

_Are you sure that’s the correct way to go about doing this?_ Yuri’s voice of reason sighed in exasperation.

Before Yuri could reassess his so-called plan, all of a sudden, a lump of sand came out of nowhere and started charging towards him!

_There’s definitely something underneath the sand! A Pokémon!_

In a moment of startled panic, Yuri threw the Poké Ball he bought at the lump. On hindsight, he knew he should have used Litten to suss out the identity of the mysterious burrower, determine whether the Pokémon came from the wild or belonged to a nearby Trainer, find out whether the Pokémon was the strong Water-Type that he wanted on his team, maybe even weaken it so that it would be easier to catch… 

 _Oh right… So that’s how we’re supposed to catch a Pokémon. We’re supposed to battle it first._

Yuri immediately regretted his actions. 

The Poké Ball opened in mid-air in a flash of light and the Pokémon in the sand was instantly pulled inside it. It then closed shut and landed onto the soft sand, shaking once, twice… 

Yuri knew that the Pokémon was struggling inside the Poké Ball, trying its damndest to break free. If the Pokémon had enough health left in it – and it had, thanks to Yuri’s rashness – there was a likelihood of it overpowering the capture mechanisms of the Poké Ball and escaping. 

 _Come on, please let me capture you… stop struggling okay? You know it’s futile!_ His fists were clenched and he was staring with all his might at the Poké Ball, as if the power of his thoughts channeled through his eyes could will it to stop shaking, somehow.

The Ball shook once, twice…

Thrice…

It stopped shaking.

Yuri heaved a huge sigh of relief. He could not believe it. His very first Pokémon capture!

He picked up the Poké Ball from the sand and tossed it. Out emerged a flat, purple Pokémon with silver plates across its back and two long feelers on its head.

 _A Wimpod, huh?_ It was a Bug-and-Water Type. Which means that defensively, it was twice as weak to any Rock-type move dished out by Mila’s Pokémon, but Yuri hoped that it could learn some super-effective Water-type moves to compensate for its weakness.

“Hey there,” Yuri ventured, “welcome to the team.” He took out an orange Poké Puff from his bag and the Turn Tail Pokémon nibbled at it gleefully.

“Do you want another one?” asked Yuri. He reached into his bag again and pulled out… a rotten banana peel? That came from his breakfast this morning! He planned to throw it away as soon as he found a bin but so many things had happened and it completely slipped his mind. 

To his horror, Wimpod swallowed the banana peel in a single gulp!

“AHHH! You’re not supposed to eat that!!!” Yuri shrieked.

It was time for another trip to the Pokémon Center.

\---

 

At the end of the second day, Yuri had a grand total of ₽23000.

Yuri had to go all the way back to Route 1 to battle the Trainers there, and even when combined with the Trainers on the beach, the winnings only came up to around ₽5000.

He managed to acquire an additional ₽8000 through completing odd jobs at Hotel Richissime Ibara, making beds, delivering room service, and managing the lost-and-found counter. He could have earned more, his supervisor had told him, had he been ‘more polite’ and ‘more cheerful’. 

To which Yuri retorted, “I _am_ polite and cheerful! I even smiled at those stupid customers, for god’s sake!” 

“…You call that a smile?”

It looked more like a cross between a very forced camera grin and a very painful grimace.

Yuri quitted on the spot. (He got the money he needed, anyway.)

By the time he left the hotel, it was already six-thirty in the evening. Without a moment’s delay, Yuri sped across the city towards the Blumenschmidt Port Market.

“I’m here to buy the –”

He froze in his tracks. The burly storeowner was gone. In his place was a slender young woman.

“Hi! Welcome! How may I help you?” 

“Th-the previous guy!” Yuri stammered. “W-where did he go?” 

“Who knows? He probably left port yesterday. I just arrived here this morning.” 

Yuri could hear his heart breaking into a million pieces. “B-but he t-told me…” 

 _He told you ‘another day more. At most two.’_

_You took it to be ‘two’, didn’t you?_

…

_I am… such an idiot._

…

 _AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!_ Yuri felt like ripping out all his hair in frustration.

“Hey! Do take a look around if you’re interested,” the new storeowner chirped, utterly oblivious to his fury. “We’ve got all the latest trends in fashion! Espadrilles in the Designs Scaly and Thunderbolt, Leather Hoodies in the Designs Rare Cruel and Rare Long Neck, Overalls in the Design Order and Rare Order…”

 _Wait a minute._ “Huh? Leather Hoodie in the Design –”

“Rare Cruel!” said the storeowner, holding up the item in question. “Here’s what it looks like! Do you want to try it on?” It looked exactly the same as the Liepard-print jacket Yuri so desired, except blood red instead of purple.

“I’ll take it,” Yuri blurted out. 

“That’ll be ₽20000, please!” 

Yuri practically shoved the money into the storeowner’s outstretched palm.

“Th-thank you!” said the storeowner, slightly taken aback. “Since you’re our first customer, we’ll give you a free Technical Machine as well. Use this TM to teach your Pokémon Shadow Claw.”

“Oh… thanks…” 

_…_

_Okay… That just happened…_

Yuri knew that his Pokémon Trainer’s journey would be full of ups and downs, but Blumenschmidt had been a freaking roller coaster ride. And that was just the first city!

 _Well, whatever,_ he thought to himself, tying his new jacket around his waist. _Come what may, I’m still going to be Champion anyway._

It was finally time for Yuri and his Pokémon to move on to their next destination.


	5. The Yuri Who Fell From The Pedestal (Part I)

Yuri was no stranger to Chrysler City, northeast of Blumenschmidt City and his next destination. After all, it was where he spent most of his days growing up as a child, from ages five to ten.

_Chrysler City… the premier education hub of the Ibara Region and home of the Pokémon Trainers’ School…_

Heading back to Chrysler felt… sort of nostalgic, somehow. Yuri could vaguely remember the days he spent in class at the seat in the middle row by the window, listening to grand tales of legendary Trainers and their incredible feats, and dreaming he would join their ranks one day. He remembered learning about the Pokémon that walked alongside humans as partners and friends, each and every one of these creatures amazing and fascinating in their own right. _In this world live what we call Pocket Monsters, or Pokémon. Humans and Pokémon have been living together since the very beginning. Sometimes we help each other. Other times we battle alongside one another._

 _As for you guys… you guys are going to become Pokémon Trainers, as soon as you graduate._ _It_ _’_ _s through experiencing_ _victories and setbacks, it’s through experiencing this world as Trainers that we grow and learn, together with our Pokémon…_

He was bright-eyed and full of hope, with his sights already set on his one and only goal. Of course, many things had changed since then, and Yuri could not help but wonder from time to time where his classmates were right now, despite the fact that he was told repeatedly that thinking about stuff like that was unhealthy, and he should stop doing that for his own sake.

Well, he had not seen them in a long time, after all. Not that he ever wanted to, of course.

Yuri could also vaguely remember his mother’s hand in his as they boarded the school-bound train at Blumenschmidt Station, while his father and grandfather stood at the platform and waved good-bye to him. _It’s your first day of your last school year, Yuri, soon you’re going to be a Trainer like us, have fun, make yourself some new friends…_ and so on, and so forth…

_I should stop thinking about stuff like that… for my own sake…_

Placing those thoughts firmly away, Yuri forced himself to concentrate on the road ahead. Route 3, connecting Blumenschmidt and Chrysler, was a long and winding road. Sure, he would reach his destination in twenty minutes if he took the train, but the low ground was teeming with wild Pokémon and Trainers. He did not want to miss any opportunity to train his Pokémon.

Both Litten and Wimpod had grown considerably in terms of experience and levels ever since he left Blumenschmidt City. Litten learnt Fire Fang, a Physical Fire-type move with way more firepower than Ember. Yuri also taught it Shadow Claw, a Ghost-type move, from the free TM he obtained in Blumenschmidt Port Market. He knew how important it was to have his Pokémon know moves of different types so that they would be able to face a larger variety of opponents. More importantly, it ensured that Litten could at least deal neutral damage to Gym Leader Mila’s Rock-type Pokémon in the upcoming battle against her.

As for Wimpod, well… any hope of it being of any help in the Gym battle quickly evaporated, for Yuri realized it could only learn two moves – Struggle Bug and Sand Attack. As a Bug-type move, Struggle Bug only dealt neutral damage against Rock-types. Sand Attack did not even deal damage. Which meant that both offensively and even more so defensively, Yuri was… kind of screwed for this matchup. He knew that he needed to come up with another plan to win his first Gym Badge. He had seen Otabek overcome a type disadvantage with tactics alone and he refused to believe that he could not do the same. _Just think… think harder… recall what you knew about moves and battling…_

Without realizing it, Yuri reached Chrysler City.

\---

 

A tall woman in a lab coat was standing at the entrance to the city, waving to him. She had long brown hair and matching brown eyes. “Yuri Plisetsky! Hi! You’ve made it!” 

“Who… What… Why…”

“Professor Yakov’s waiting for you! I’m Minako, a research fellow. You’re supposed to go meet him when you arrive in Chrysler, remember?”

Yuri completely forgot. 

“Of course I remembered!” Yuri said. “What am I, an idiot? I was just about to head to his lab!” 

Minako grinned. “Do you want me to bring you there?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned around and headed into the city. Yuri grudgingly removed his roller skates and followed behind her. It had been five years since he last set foot into the place. As he walked along the streets with Minako, he could identify a couple of sights from his childhood, like the Chrysler Train Station, for example, and the Pokémon Trainers’ University clock tower. But there were also other completely new buildings alongside the familiar ones, buildings that had never existed in his memories, structures he totally did not recognize at all.

“What’s that place?” asked Yuri, pointing to a modern-looking five-storey building with large glass panels.

“That’s the Chrysler Library. It re-opened just last year. We can go and take a look inside later on, if you want. I think a new collection from the Hoenn Region just arrived earlier this week; you might want to check it out…”

“Nope, it’s fine.”

Minako laughed. “Not really a fan of books, are you?”

“I don’t hate books,” said Yuri with a scowl. “I just don’t like them telling me what to do or what to think. I find it pointless to spend my time sitting inside and reading when I can just experience things for myself. I think I learn better that way too.”

“Well, I guess I can see where you are coming from,” Minako replied. “But for us in academia, that library is heaven. We can stay in there for days and never come out. Believe me, I did that.”

“You’re… a student from the University?”

“Me? No, I graduated decades ago!”

“Decades…?" 

“Yup! Almost three decades, in fact! Man… how time flies… to think I’ve been working with the Professor for so long already!”

“What the hell –”

“Hey, how old did you think I was, kiddo? I’m already fifty this year!”

“WHAT THE HELL?” Yuri could not believe what he was hearing. What kind of black magic sorcery was that? That woman looked at most half her age!

“That’s the power of glycosaminoglycans for you!” replied Minako with a wink.

They continued the rest of their short walk in an awkward silence (on Yuri’s part, mostly). Before long, they arrived at the laboratory, a small, unassuming red-brick building at the edge of the city.

“We’re here!” announced Minako.

Yuri followed her inside. To his surprise, it looked completely different from what he expected a laboratory to look like. There was a coffee table, a couch with pillows, a kitchenette… It looked more like someone’s house, rather than a place to conduct research.

“Are you sure we got the right place?” asked Yuri. “Where are all the fancy computers and machinery?”

“Oh, this is just the guest lobby! All the so-called fancy equipment is in the basement. It’s out of bounds to non-scientists!” Minako brought her voice down to a whisper. “But that’s because it’s an utter mess down there… I’ll give you a tour once we clean everything up, so come back in ten years’ time, okay? Oh! There’s Professor Yakov! Hey, Prof! Yuri’s here!”

Professor Yakov was a stout, balding man of seventy. Apparently, he and Yuri’s grandfather had been friends, way back in the day. Yuri knew he could be a little long-winded – no, extremely long-winded – but he always had Yuri’s best interests at heart. So… kind of like his grandfather actually, now that he thought about it.

“Hello, Yuri,” said the Professor. “I’m glad you made it.”

“Hi, gramps – I mean Professor,” Yuri said. “Well… thanks for Litten.”

“You’re welcome! I see that the both of you have already become fast friends. Oh, it looks like you’ve caught a Wimpod as well!" said the Professor. "Hmm... it looks like you already knew how to catch a Pokémon, huh? I was just about to ask Minako over there to help you! Looks like Trainers’ School taught you well.”

“Umm, right!” Yuri nodded vigorously. Professor Yakov absolutely did _not_ need to know how clumsy that first attempt was.

“Wonderful!” Professor Yakov said, smiling affectionately at Yuri. “You’re shaping up to be quite the Trainer, aren’t you? Your grandfather would be proud. I still remember the day the both of us…”

 _Oh god, it’s one of his lectures again,_ Yuri groaned internally. He braced himself for at least ten minutes of pure boredom –

“Ah… Professor?” It was Minako. “Let’s not keep Yuri here for too long, yeah? I’m sure he still has important... Trainer stuff to do.”

“Oh don’t interrupt me when I’m talking,” snapped the Professor. “It’s crucial that Yuri learns about how his grandfather’s Delcatty helped us through Rock Tunnel –”

“I-It’s okay, Professor!” said Yuri immediately. “I don’t want to keep myself – I mean you guys – here for long too! I’m sure you and Minako still have important… science stuff to do.”

“Oh well,” said the Professor with an exasperated sigh. “In that case, let’s get to why I called you here in the first place. I have a gift for you –”

“Really?” Yuri’s eyes lit up. “What is it?”

“It’s a Pokédex,” said the Professor. “It’s a digital encyclopedia on all the Pokémon in this world. Whenever you find a Pokémon whom you’ve never encountered before, just consult the Pokédex and you’ll be able to obtain information about it in a flash.” 

“It’s an invaluable tool for Trainers,” added Minako. “Even we researchers rely heavily on it. I know you’re not too keen on books, Yuri, and well, the Pokédex is technically not a book, but… instead of solely relying on knowledge from your experience, why not combine that with the knowledge from the Pokédex? I heard from Professor Yakov that you’re aiming to become the Champion. Wield both sources of knowledge as your weapons, and you can get there in no time!”

“Right, thanks,” nodded Yuri. “So, umm… where’s the Pokédex?”

“Unfortunately, it’s under repair right now,” the Professor said. “So why don’t you go explore the city for a little while first? We’ll contact you once it’s ready.”

“Oh. Okay…”

Yuri exited the lab. He took a trip to the Pokémon Center, healing his Pokémon back to full health. Then, he went to the Poké Mart to stock up on supplies. And then… he did not know where to go next. Sure, there were probably many places to see and explore, especially one of those newer buildings that he had never been to before, but… it would probably be something that had to do with books, or schools, or research, or education. And Yuri was not interested in the slightest.

 _Oh come on, what’s with all that talk about ‘growing stronger’ just a couple of days ago?_ Yuri’s voice of reason prodded. _You do know that knowledge is strength right? What happened to combining the knowledge from books and the knowledge from experience to become Champion?_

 _Whatever! We’re getting the Pokédex soon anyway. That’s kind of sort of like a book,_ said the rest of Yuri. _And if we really, really want to be honest with ourselves… actual books are just plain boring, okay? Where is the action? The Pokémon battling?_

_We could always go to the Trainers’ School. They always welcome rookie Trainers to sit in their classes. There might be a mock battle lesson happening right now._

_What? No way we’re going back there. You know how we feel about that place! You know how that place feels about us!_

_Then where else can we go? The freaking library?_

_Well… it’s quiet, at least._ Yuri could find a nice armchair, plug in his music and fall asleep for a couple of hours. He would probably doze off while reading a book anyway, so why not just do it from the get-go?

 _So that’s the plan, then._ Yuri was about to skate off towards the library when…

_CRASH!_

“Watch where you are going, you –”

“I’m sorry!” It was an Office Lady. “I wasn’t looking! Look Trainer, can you do me a, really, really huge favor? I’m going to be late for work!”

“Nope, do it yourself.”

“I’ll pay you!”

…

₽300 later, Yuri found himself heading towards the Pokémon Trainers’ School, holding a lunchbox addressed to ‘Lucy of Class 2-A’. The things he would do for money!

“I’m just going to go there, deliver the dumb box to the dumb kid, and get out of that place pronto,” Yuri grumbled to himself.

He desperately hoped that no one there would recognize him.

\---

 

At eleven-thirty in the morning, a blonde boy in a Liepard-print hoodie could be found pressing his face against the tall fence of the Trainers’ School playground.

Yuri was clenching the bars in such a death grip that if the fence could speak, it would be absolutely screaming its lungs out right now.

Just one kid… he just needed one stupid kid to notice that he was there. Then, he could pass the lunchbox to the kid and tell the kid to give it to ‘Lucy of Class 2-A’, and then pray real hard that the kid would _not_ tell the teachers that they received a suspicious-looking box (seriously, pink and rainbows?) from a suspicious-looking someone dressed in black from head to toe…

Okay… so maybe his plan was not so well thought out after all.

But… what was he supposed to do then? Go through the front door, get security clearance and pass the lunchbox to Class 2-A’s form teacher? And then… probably get recognized as a Trainers’ School alumnus in the process, before getting whisked away to tea and chitchat with his ex-teachers, who were no doubt the last people Yuri ever wanted to re-encounter in his life (at least, not at this point)? 

There was no way Yuri would allow that to happen. Hence his so-called ‘plan’. The fewer people noticed him, the better.

It had been fifteen minutes and not a single kid had spotted him at the fence. He was running out of patience.

Yuri blamed the playground toys. They were much too fun apparently, and the kids were far too busy playing with them to notice anything else. The huge slide in the middle of the playground was especially popular, with boys and girls alike clamoring over it, wanting to have a go. It was in the shape of a Drampa, a turquoise green Dragon-type Pokémon. The kids would climb up its ‘body’ from the ‘tail’ end and slide down its long ‘neck’, landing on the fluffy ‘hair’ on its ‘head’. It looked extremely life-like. Yuri could not believe that the school paid actual money for that to be made. Judging from the craftsmanship, it must have cost a bomb. And for that matter: since when did the school acquire a merry-go-round as well? And a swing set? Back when he had been a student, all they had were a seesaw and a sandbox. And Yuri hated sand. It was coarse and rough and irritating and it got everywhere… 

“Hi! Who are you?”

It was a little girl, with her hair tied up in two ponytails. She was staring at Yuri as if she had never seen a boy that cool and fashionable before.

“Are you a bad guy?” said the girl. “You look like a bad guy.”

Finally! Someone noticed him! Not for the right reasons but still, it was someone! And Yuri could not help but ask, “…So what if I am?”

“I’m gonna tell Miss Isa –”

“Nooooo!” interjected Yuri. He must not let that happen no matter what. He forced himself to smile in the friendliest manner he could ( _just like how I did it in Hotel Richissime Ibara!_ ) and said to the girl, “I’m just a… nice and happy Trainer passing by! By the way, do you know Lucy from class 2-A?” 

“Yup!” said the girl cheerfully. Then she turned towards the playground.

“LUUUUUUUCYYYYY!” she hollered. “Someone’s looking for you!” 

For a moment, everyone in the playground dropped what they were doing and stared in his direction with huge, curious eyes.

Then came a pattering of feet as twenty or so kids stampeded over to the fence.

Then came the cacophony. 

“Hi! What’s your name?”

“Is black your favorite color?”

“Are you a Trainer? Can I see your Pokémon?”

“Why do you look so angry?”

“Do you know who Professor Yakov is?”

“SHUT UP!” screamed Yuri over the din, a part of him wishing that it was fifteen minutes ago and everyone was ignoring him. It turned out that being in the center of attention of noisy, annoying, irritating, chattering kids was so much worse.

Luckily for him, the kids shut up.

“Which of you little shits is Lucy from class 2-A?”

A little girl with a ribbon headband raised her hand. “Me! I’m Lucy. And by the way, my teacher says it’s rude to –”

“I don’t care. By the way, you forgot your lunchbox.”

“Are you sure you’re not a bad guy?” said the girl in ponytails.

Yuri took a deep breath, and flashed the sweetest smile he could muster. The sheer powers those kids had over him! He could not believe that in a fit of frustration, he almost risked alerting the teachers to his presence.

“No, I am not. Here, Lucy, why don’t I pass you your lunchbox and we can all go our merry ways, okay?” 

Lucy tottered over to where Yuri was standing and reached out her hand. The blonde-haired boy took out the lunchbox from his bag and tried to slide it through the bars of the fence, but it was useless. The box was too big, and it could not fit in the narrow gap between the bars.

“Try squishing it,” said a little boy.

“Silly Alex! Boxes cannot be squished!” said Lucy.

“My big brother says everything can be squished. He says he’ll squish me if I misbehave.”

“Your big brother is a liar!” 

“No, he’s not!” 

“Yes, he is! Tell him, Drampa!” 

“Draa!”

“No, he’s not! Tell her, Drampa!”

“Draa!” 

“QUIET!” Yuri screeched.

…

…

… 

“THE SLIDE CAN TALK???” 

“That’s not a slide! That’s Drampa!” said Lucy, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which made sense, actually, now that Yuri thought about it. The so-called ‘slide’ looked too much like the real thing.

In any case, Yuri still needed to find a way to get the lunchbox to the girl.

 _Why is this stupid box so damn huge? What the hell did it contain?_ Yuri could not help but take the lid off the box. It turned out that inside was… a sandwich. It slid through the bars easily.

“Who the hell uses such a gigantic box just to contain two slices of bread?” Yuri wondered aloud in frustration.

“Me!” Lucy replied, chomping happily on her sandwich. “I like this lunchbox. It has my favorite Pokémon, Jigglypuff, on it! Also it is pink and has rainbows.” 

“Who gives a shit about rainbows?” Yuri blurted out.

“Who gives a sheet about Liepard spots?” said the girl in ponytails.

Yuri’s jaw dropped. Did that kid just… sass him? And he had to admit… that was a pretty good comeback for an eight-year-old. He could not decide whether he liked that kid for her guts, or hated her for her utter disrespect to someone almost twice her age. 

“Ooh, Ruby said a bad word! I’m gonna tell Miss Isabella!” 

“That’s S-H-E-E-T, for ‘bed sheets’, you silly-head!”

“Quiet!” Yuri shouted. He did not want to be reminded of this burn any further.

Luckily for him, the kids kept quiet.

“I’m going to throw the lunchbox over the fence,” said Yuri. “That’s the only way I can think of right now, to get it over. And I want Lucy or whoever to catch it, okay?”

“Are we playing ball?” 

“I think we’re playing ‘box’!”

“I wanna play!” 

“Draa!” 

“I wanna play too!”

Yuri took a few steps back, threw his arm back as if throwing a Poké Ball, and flung the lunchbox into the air. That… might have been a little too hard of a throw, but even if none of the kids could catch it, he felt that he could count on Drampa. It looked like a pretty strong Pokémon, after all. The lunchbox flew over the fence and – 

“Teleport!”

A brown Psychic-type Pokémon – a Beeheyem – suddenly appeared in mid-air and grabbed the lunchbox with its cylindrical arms. It disappeared with a ‘pop’, and reappeared a millisecond later on the other side of the fence in the playground, still holding the lunchbox.

“I heard a lot of noise! Who threw the box over the fence?” 

It was a young woman with shoulder-length black hair, and sky-blue eyes. Yuri’s heart sank. _That must be the kids’ teacher_ , he realized. _So in the end… I didn’t manage to make it through unnoticed after all._ _This is… probably what it feels like when you get caught misbehaving in school, huh?_

All twenty or so kids in the playground pointed to Yuri unanimously. “He did!” they chorused. _Those little demons! Those traitors! I thought we were friends… kind of! Or… were they just too honest to a fault?_ But Yuri was no longer a student, and he was definitely not about to just stand there and receive whatever punishment awaited him. He completed his task, and he had no need to remain in that place any longer. So he dashed off in his skates. 

He did not notice the Beeheyem materializing behind him and grabbing him by his bag, until it was too late. The next thing he knew, he was Teleported back to the playground!

“You’re not getting away!” scolded the teacher. “Who are you? Why are you disrupting the kids’ playtime?”

“I only wanted to pass the girl her lunchbox!” 

“Why didn’t you go through the front door?” 

Yuri could not answer.

“Do you know how dangerous that was?” the teacher continued. “What if you hit a student or a Pokémon? Someone could have gotten injured!”

Yuri knew, he had always known how irrational his actions just now were. It was just that… he did not want to face the dreaded possibility of running into someone from his past.

“It’s okay, Miss Isabella! I recognize him! He’s an ex-student!” said a booming voice.

And… the possibility just happened.

A middle-aged man in a suit entered the playground. His long and curly hair was tied back into a low ponytail. “Yuri Plisetsky! You graduated five years ago, right? Long time no see! Hey, Miss Isabella, I can handle it from here.”

“All right, if you say so, Principal Celestino! I’ll leave him in your hands then!” said the teacher. “Okay class, gather round…”

Yuri was not surprised anymore. His once form teacher was now Principal of Trainers’ School? Of course! It was another one of those times where everything that could go wrong for him, went absolutely wrong. He was used to this by now.

\---

 

It was a pretty awkward walk to the Principal’s office. Mostly on Yuri’s part. 

“H-hi,” Yuri stammered, for once trying to break the silence. 

“Yuri! Glad to see you! It’s been five years, huh?” 

“Yeah,” said Yuri, trying his best to sound as casual as possible. “Things sure have changed a lot around here.” 

“Indeed!” Mr Celestino replied. “And it's all thanks to ex-students, like you!” 

The Principal stopped before a large, wooden plaque mounted on one of the walls of the hallway. Carved in gold, Yuri realized, were names of students who graduated Trainers’ School years ago, and apparently had some sort of great accomplishment. He saw Mila’s name on it (she was three years his senior), as well as a couple of his previous classmates. However, he could not find his name anywhere.

“These are the names of alumni who went on and became successful Trainers. So they donated some money back, to give their appreciation to the school that nurtured them into who they are today. It’s all thanks to their gifts that we could afford better facilities and programs for the subsequent batches of students,” said the Principal.

Yuri gazed at the plaque, reminded yet again of the fact that he had achieved practically nothing compared to his classmates. Every word Mr Celestino had said was akin to a stab in his heart. _This is why I never wanted to come here in the first place. Yes, I know, alright? You don’t need to show it to me. I neither made it in life nor donated a single cent. Isn’t that what you’re implying? Congratulations, you’re absolutely right! I am a horrible student, I know that already, alright?_

The pair eventually made it to the office. It was small and somewhat cozy, unlike what Yuri expected a Principal’s office to look like. There was a desk in the middle of the room with a dual-screen computer, as well as Pokémon reference books lying around haphazardly. Trophies and even more books lined the shelves. “Have a seat,” said the Principal, gesturing to one of the swiveling chairs. “Sorry for the mess.” 

“Thanks…” Despite the promotion, his former teacher had not changed at all. 

“So, how are you doing, recently?” 

“Fine, thanks…”

“Did you know? Your class had a reunion three months ago. You were the only one who didn’t make it. Everyone was wondering where you were!”

Of course Yuri knew. His Xtransceiver had been buzzing with thousands of messages from the newly set up class chat group, ever since a reunion had been in the works. He had ignored every single one of them, to the point where he had to accidentally-on-purpose flush his mobile card down the sink and get a new number. How could he have gone? How could he have faced his classmates in this state? Back in the day, he had been consistently third in class, only behind two others – Alan and Priya. (He would have probably gotten a higher position if he had performed better in the reading and memory portions.) Everyone thought that he was going to go on to something great. And Yuri, being the big-mouthed idiot that he realized he was on hindsight, had always been rambling on and on to those who would listen, about taking on the Gym Challenge and beating the Elite Four one day.

But the roles were now reversed, and ever since graduation, his classmates had been the ones conquering Gyms left and right in the region and beyond, while he had snoozed in that stupid coma for two years and had to waste his time on rehab for three. _Poor Yuri, look how far he has fallen,_ his classmates would no doubt say if they knew what had happened to him, for he was sure that at least some of them had been jealous of his standing in class. _Brilliance as a child does not necessarily equate to brilliance later on in life._  

 _And you, Mr Celestino, fancy seeing you again!_ It was just… plain weird, the relationship between him and his teacher. He knew that while Mr Celestino did not hate him, he probably did not like him much either. As a student, Yuri had been pretty quiet and sullen as compared to his classmates. He had mostly kept to himself, and only hung out with a few friends. He was nothing like the gregarious leader that was Alan, nor was he anything like the lively and energetic Priya.

The final straw had come during his very last school year, where he, alongside Alan and Priya, had been chosen to represent the school in the Florentina Festival Open Tournament. Yuri and his family used to attend the festival every year, but he had never taken part in the Tournament until then. And because only rental Pokémon had been allowed, even non-Trainers like him five years ago could enter. It would be pretty easy to get far, if one had sufficient knowledge and skills about battling. If Yuri and his classmates performed well, it would be a great boost to the school’s reputation. 

Except… Yuri got kicked out during the round of sixteen. The other two made it to the semis.

The one chance he had to impress the school, he blew it big time. It was a day Yuri would never forget.

After the festival came graduation, and everyone had gone his or her separate ways. Yuri did not keep in contact with every single one of his classmates and teachers. 

He wondered what Mr Celestino would make of the Yuri now, the Yuri who fell from the pedestal, the Yuri who disappointed whatever little hope he placed in him, disappeared without a word, and came back trying to throw a lunchbox over the school fence. What would he be thinking, if he knew that the current Yuri had zero badges and zero titles to his name? Would he be surprised? Or would that be completely within his expectations? Would he jump to conclusions and attribute it to Yuri’s general incompetence as a Trainer, as he found out the in the worst way possible during the Tournament? There was no way he would correctly guess that Yuri started out five years too late, no thanks to that one accident in Florentina Town a couple of months after the festival…

“I didn’t know,” said Yuri, lying blatantly through his teeth. “I changed my number, you see.” That second part was technically not a lie. 

“Ahaha, then you should totally go to the next one!” said Mr Celestino, laughing heartily.

Yuri was getting more and more uncomfortable at each passing second. He knew deep down that he should really, really clear things up with the Principal. Unfortunately, he was… not very good at expressing his innermost feelings, to say the least. Plus, he knew that it was pretty inappropriate to unleash five years of teenage angst onto his former teacher out of the blue like that. So he kept quiet, and so from time to time, he continued wondering, and continued drowning in those thoughts. His rehab therapist had told him multiple times to stop thinking about such negative things, to stop thinking about the past he could not change, to stop comparing himself with his peers, and that he would reach their level one day. But Yuri knew better. Half a decade was a long time. And everyone else was so far ahead already, and they were constantly running ahead of him, even as he sat there in Mr Celestino’s office. Logically, there was just no way Yuri could catch up with them anymore. 

So… he just needed to defy logic, then. 

Even if no one in his class believed he could make it, even if no one believed he had the strength and aptitude to climb back up to the top and remain there… he would become Champion. He would prove everyone wrong. And he _wanted_ to become Champion. He wanted it so much he could almost taste it.

“Sure, I’ll go to the next one,” said Yuri, with newfound resolution. _By that time, the Champion’s seat will be mine, and I’ll be able to face everyone again. I’ll make sure of it._

“That’s great! See you there, then.” 

“Right.” 

…

“Umm… look, I got to go?” said Yuri, breaking the awkward silence yet again. “Thanks for everything today.”

“But… Okay, well, see you next time,” said Mr Celestino. “You know, you’re always welcome here.”

And Yuri knew that too, that teachers were always happy to see their students, no matter where they were or what they had become. But Yuri, being who he was and who he had been… also knew that he did not want his teacher to be ‘just happy’ to see him. 

It was hard to admit it but… in his hearts of hearts, he wanted his teacher to be proud of him. 

And right now, his teacher was not.

Yuri was about to leave when he saw the other teacher, Miss Isabella, and her class queued up in two lines outside the school. “We’re about to go on a mini field trip to Crystalline Cave,” Miss Isabella told him. “Do you want to come along? We welcome any Trainer to join us.” 

Field trip? Back in his day, there was no such thing as field trips! Where the hell did the school get the money to fund cool activities like these?

 _…Oh. Right._  

“Thanks for the offer,” said Yuri, “but I really got to go –” 

Before he knew it, twenty or so kids surrounded him, grabbing his limbs tightly and not letting go no matter how hard he tried to shake them off. 

“Join us, Yuri!” said the little boy named Alex. “It’ll be fun!”

“…Okay, fine! But only because you crazy kids won’t take no for an answer! Anyway, I have nothing else better to do right now, I guess.”

“Yay!” the kids cheered in unison.

And so they made their way to their new destination.

\---

 

In the depths of Crystalline Cave, Otabek Altin sat and waited. 

He thought his eyes would acclimatize to this pitch darkness after so long, but he could still barely see a thing. How much time had he been in there for, anyway? An hour? No… two hours? He never bothered to keep track. It was not important. 

He knew that what he was looking for was right here, in this very cave. And he resolved not to leave the place until he found it. 

“Supersonic.” 

A few moments later, there was a soft thud as something hit the ground. He increased the display brightness of his PokéNav Plus and took a quick glance at the screen. It was blurry and distorted, but he could make out the identity of the Pokémon in the image. Another Sableye. It was his seventh one so far.

But it was not what he was looking for.

“Try again, Zubat,” he murmured as he turned down the brightness of his screen, the dim illumination of the screen fading to pitch darkness once more. 

He continued sitting and waiting.


	6. The Yuri Who Fell From The Pedestal (Part II)

The moment Yuri stepped into Crystalline Cave, he was struck with awe.

It was not a particularly huge cave, contrary to what Yuri had imagined. But what captivated him were the crystals that adorned every nook and cranny of the place – there must be at least a million of them. There were a couple of strategically placed lamps here and there, giving off a faint glow to guide travelers, yet any light they emitted were reflected off the faces of the crystals, resulting in a brilliant iridescence that lit up the entire cave. A three-meter-wide route had been cordoned off for the general public – a straight, direct path that connected Chrysler City and Dortmund City in the east. Of course, Trainers could choose to stray from that path and explore deeper into the cave, for it was home to many species of wild Pokémon.

The field trip just started, and Yuri had to admit – he was enjoying himself so far.

“Ahh! No way!” shrieked Ruby, pointing at the ceiling. “Those crystals just moved!”

Yuri tilted his head upwards. The ceiling was high, and Yuri had to squint a little to be able to see carefully, but no doubt about it, the crystals were shifting positions on their own! Not only that, what Yuri once thought were mere rocks… started detaching by themselves from the ceiling and floating around in mid-air! What was going on? Was the cave… alive?

A couple of ‘rocks’ floated down to where the kids were. In such close proximity, the crystals embedded in them shone brighter than ever. Upon closer inspection, Yuri could see a layer of white fluff on the top of each ‘rock’, circling around… some sort of head? And those bright blue beads that just blinked at them… were they eyes?

“Those are not just crystals!” said Yuri. “They are Carbink!”

“That’s right!” said Miss Isabella. “In fact, all of the crystals you see are actually clusters and clusters of wild Carbink! They usually live underground in the wild, but in Crystalline Cave, you can see many of them on the first floor. Thousands of them, in fact!” 

It was absolutely breathtaking. Yuri had never seen so many wild Pokémon gathered in one place before. Fortunately, the Carbink seemed comfortable in the presence of humans and had no intention of attacking the group.

“Alright class, get into groups of three or four,” said Miss Isabella. “Let’s find some Carbink and sketch some pictures of them! Remember, don’t wander off too far, don’t go anywhere alone, and only stick to the main path where I can see you. Do not go down any stairs; do not go underground. Yuri and I will make sure of it!”

“Yes, Miss Isabella!” chirped the kids. And thus, under the watchful eye of their teacher, they scattered off to find some Carbink.

“My brother told me once that some Carbink mutate into a Diancie,” said Alex. He, Ruby and Lucy formed a team. “Maybe we can spot one in this cave.”

“I wanna see a Diancie too! They are so pretty!” gushed Lucy. Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh, I know! Let’s sketch a Diancie! I’m sure Miss Isabella will love it!”

“Yeah! That’s a great idea!”

“Come out, come out, wherever you are, Diancie!”

Yuri snickered at their ignorance. “You guys are joking, right? Diancie are so rare they’re the stuff of legends. What makes you think you can find one?” 

“We can look harder! I’m sure we can, if we open our eyes wide enough!” said Lucy. 

“Things don’t work that way!” said Yuri. “Anyway, if there really are Diancie in this cave, they won’t be found on this level! They’ll probably be deep underground, where the higher pressures force mutations…” 

“Well, let’s go underground then!” said Ruby instantly.

“What?” Yuri sputtered. “Didn't you listen to what your teacher just said? You’re not supposed to wander off from this area!”

“That’s why you’re coming with us!” said Alex. “You’re a Trainer, right? Your Pokémon will protect us!”

“Please, Yuri! Please come with us!” Lucy begged, tugging on the sleeve of Yuri’s jacket and pulling him towards the stairs leading to the floor below.

The truth was, Yuri did feel like going with them. Not because the kids’ puppy eyes and innocent pleads actually worked on him (at least, he did not think so), but mostly because, well… he was sort of curious too. If Diancie actually did exist underground, in this very cave, then why would he not try to find one, and catch one? It was a strong Pokémon with an absurdly high base stat total, and it would make an extremely valuable addition to his team. Sure, the probability of a Diancie mutation was extremely small but as long as it existed, why not take the chance?

Plus, Yuri was not the greatest fan of following the rules to the letter; he strongly believed that rules should be bent and adapted, perhaps even discarded if they did not make sense in the current situation. And Yuri could not see how things would go wrong, with his Litten and Wimpod around. After all, they were more than capable of dealing with the wild Pokémon they encountered so far.

Still… it was Trainers’ School. And the last thing he wanted was to do anything to make the people there despise him even more. 

“I-I’m going to ask your teacher for permission, okay?” Yuri said to the kids. “Wait for me. We’re going down together.” He walked over to where Miss Isabella was standing.

“What’s the matter, Yuri?” asked the teacher.

“Well… some kids wanted to explore the basement… so I was wondering if they could, if I tagged along with them,” said Yuri. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he added, “I’m a Trainer.” A rookie Trainer with zero badges, but a Trainer nonetheless. A Trainer whose Pokémon partners protected him well during his journey until now, and could most likely protect three other kids as well.

“Oh? Which students?”

“Alex, Ruby, and Lucy,” said Yuri. “They’re right there.” He gestured in the direction of the stairs, where the kids had been standing…

…but the kids were nowhere in sight.

“No way!” Yuri gasped. “They were right over there a minute ago!”

Miss Isabelle scanned the area. “I can’t see them anywhere,” she said, panic seeping into her voice.

Yuri was enraged. Those little shits! He turned his back for one moment, and the kids just left without him? He knew they were excited about Diancie but that was just plain, utter, foolishness! _Don’t wander into Pokémon habitats if you don’t have your own Pokémon!_ Did Trainers’ School not drill that into their heads like they did to him?

“I’m going to get them back,” said Yuri, his anger gradually giving way to worry. If something happened to them… “I gave them the idea of going underground. I got them into this mess.”

“It’s not your fault,” comforted Miss Isabella. “I’m sure you didn’t expect them to wander off either. You did the right thing by asking for my permission first.”

“Can’t you use Beheeyem to Teleport them back or something?”

“That Beheeyem isn’t mine,” said the teacher. “It belongs to campus security. I don’t have it with me right now. And even if I do… Beheeyem can’t Teleport if it does not know the exact location of a place.” 

“It’s fine. I have my own Pokémon.”

“But it’s going to be dark underground. They didn’t set up a lighting system, for no one really goes down there, with the occasional Trainer being an exception. And Trainers usually have a Pokémon in their party who can use the move Flash.” 

Neither Litten nor Wimpod could learn that move.

“In that case, you can borrow my Mareep,” said Miss Isabella. “Its Flash can light up even the darkest of caverns.”

“Thanks,” said Yuri, receiving Mareep’s Poké Ball. “I’m going to bring these three idiots – I mean rascals – I mean children – back.” 

“Be careful, okay?” said Miss Isabella. “I’ll be keeping a lookout for them on the ground floor. I’ll call you if I find them!” 

Yuri nodded in understanding.

\---

 

Slowly and gingerly, Yuri descended the stairs leading to the first basement level. The steps were slippery and uneven, coated with layers of sand, and he practically had to grab on for his dear life the rusty handlebar at the side for support, because god knew how often he missed a step and almost rolled down the entire way. As he ventured deeper and deeper underground, the reflected luminescence from the crystals started to fade. Before long, he was in complete darkness. He could not even see his outstretched palm in front of him.

“Mareep, Flash.” Electricity sparked in the Wool Pokémon’s tail, giving off a radiant white glow. Soon, almost the entire floor was illuminated.

Then, out of the blue, a huge pile of sand and mud fell from the ceiling, right smack onto his head and all over him!

“ARGHHHHHH!” Yuri shrieked in disgust, frantically brushing away all that horrible sand from his body. Did he mention how much he hated sand? It would require _weeks_ of shampooing just to get all that gunk off his hair…

Mareep was soiled too. Yuri grabbed both sides of the Wool Pokémon and shook it gently to help get rid of the sand, but it did not work. He tried brushing the wool with his hand, yet somehow he managed to make it become even more tangled and clumpy. Yuri groaned. Miss Isabella was going to kill him when she found out.

This was definitely _not_ a good start. He lifted the hood of his jacket over his head, just in case the ceiling decided to take a huge dump on him again.

With that out of the way, Yuri commenced his search. However, the kids were nowhere in sight. Which was strange, because the kids had no Pokémon of their own, or even a torchlight, and there was no way in hell that they managed to roam off that far if they could not see a single thing. And for that matter… how did they even make it down that scary flight of stairs to begin with? When Yuri practically came close to _dying_ a couple of times? If they tripped and fell… surely Yuri would find their bodies where the stairs ended? Yet there was no sign of them anywhere. No blood, no broken limbs, no… 

Yuri immediately chastised himself for having such morbid thoughts. 

Did they not go underground in the first place? Yuri checked his Xtransceiver. Nothing. The signal was not high, but there was still reception. It had been almost ten minutes, and there was nothing from Miss Isabella’s side. If the kids had been upstairs all this while, Miss Isabella would have found them by now. Which means… there was only one possibility left – the kids had to be somewhere underground. But… where? And… how?

“Hey, Alex!” he called. “Ruby! Lucy!”

No answer. 

Something stirred in the cave. Yuri's presence must have startled the wild Pokémon in the area. But thanks to Mareep’s bright Flash, most of them were not inclined to attack him. They would rather retreat back into the safety of the shadows. Occasionally, Yuri would catch a glimpse of dark purple from the corner of his eye – Sableye, the natural predator of Carbink. No wonder there were so many Carbink on the first level, and practically none on this one. They were trying to escape from being preyed on.

 _So… did we just debunk our theory of Diancie being underground too? After all, they are mutated Carbink. Surely Sableye don’t mind a little extra flavor,_ said Yuri’s voice of reason.

_But Diancie are way stronger than normal Carbink. Perhaps they aren’t afraid of Sableye. We shouldn’t give up on the possibility just yet._

Yuri wondered if Sableye ate children too, before remembering that the Darkness Pokémon only fed on rocks and raw gemstones. So the three idiots were safe… from Sableye, at least. 

He tried calling out for the kids a couple more times, but there was no reply whatsoever.

“Come out you little shits! Stop playing!”

Silence. 

“Everyone’s leaving without you, slowpokes!” 

… 

“Oh gee, a Diancie!”

…

Yuri gave up. It was as clear as the crystals on a Carbink’s body that the kids were not on his current floor. He spotted another flight of stairs tucked in a corner – they must lead to basement two. So he scooped up Mareep in his arms and made his way down. The journey felt like it took forever. The air was getting damper and heavier as Yuri descended, and it was getting more and more difficult to breath.

The moment he landed at the bottom, Yuri felt a tap on his shoulder.

It was an older boy with short dark hair in an undercut. A scarf was wrapped around his neck. Otabek Altin! He too, was covered in sand from head to toe.

“What the hell are you doing here?” asked Yuri, his eyes wide with astonishment (and partly with amusement, for how silly the other guy looked with sand caked on his face).

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” said Otabek.

Yuri felt like saying something sarcastic back at him, but… now was not the time for that. “Have you seen three kids?” he said. “Two girls and a boy. Around eight years old.”

“Why would there be children in this cave? And on level B2?”

“They were looking for –” Realization struck Yuri. Of course. Otabek, being _that_ kind of Trainer, was probably looking for Diancie too. And – Yuri noticed in abject horror – he was here first. If Otabek caught that single rare Diancie that appeared once every who-knew-how-many trillion Carbink… there would not be any left for him, would there? The prospect of Otabek having a Diancie but not him was too painful to even consider for a brief second. He could not believe that his one-sided so-called ‘rival’ was one step ahead of him again.

“Anyway… I did not see them,” said Otabek, glaring daggers at the Mareep in Yuri’s arms. “It was pitch black until you came.”

“Huh? You were in darkness the whole time?” 

“Yes,” said Otabek. “I was trying to conceal my presence. Come here, Zubat.” Moments later, a blue-and-purple Pokémon with large wings flitted over – a Zubat. It had a small device clipped onto its right ear.

“I was using Zubat to make sense of my surroundings,” Otabek explained. “Zubat is especially adept at navigating without light, thanks to its echolocation. It sends out supersonic sound waves from its mouth, and when the waves hit an object, they produce echoes, which are bounced back to Zubat. That’s how it detects the presence of obstacles. But if I redirect some of the waves to this detector on its ear…” He booted up his PokéNav Plus and showed Yuri the screen. It was a grayscale image, consisting of mostly lines, protrusions and shadows that vaguely made up the shape of a certain –

“Is that a Sableye?” Yuri gasped.

“Yup. That’s just one of the many photos I took just now. The detector on Zubat’s ear is linked to a transducer, which can convert the sound waves into electrical signals. My PokéNav Plus will pick up the signals and convert them into an image. It works in real-time as well. This is how I’m able to see without light.”

“But why go through all this trouble when you can just use use Flash?”

Otabek glowered at him. “Because the light will alert my target, that’s why. No thanks to you, they probably won’t reveal themselves anymore. That was two hours of effort down the drain.” 

_Wait, what?_

Did Yuri just… unwittingly sabotage Otabek’s chances at a Diancie? A part of him was relieved, knowing that Otabek did not manage to catch the elusive Jewel Pokémon after all.

 _But didn't you see the look on that asshole’s face?_ screamed the rest of him, a much larger part of him. _If looks could kill, you’re already deader than dead!!! You better say something to appease him, or else you’ll never live to see another day!_  

“Maybe there wasn’t anything here in the first place,” said Yuri. “You would have waited in vain either way.”

…

 _…Nailed it._  

Otabek stared quizzically at him, then sighed. “No, I’m absolutely certain there was,” he said. “As for your kids…”

“They’re not _mine_!!!” 

“I didn’t see them per se, but there’s no way they could pass by without Zubat noticing. And this is the very bottom of the cave. As you can see for yourself, they’re not here.”

“But they were not on the previous level either! Or the top floor! They couldn’t possibly vanish into thin air, could they? Or did they cross between the boundary between basement one and two? Like what, a basement one-and-a-half?”

Otabek drew a sharp intake of breath. 

“There’s actually a basement one-and-a-half?” Yuri asked in disbelief.

“I don’t know,” said Otabek. “But somehow I have a feeling there might be.” He turned around, facing the side of the staircase and began knocking and brushing off the sand on the wall.

“Hey. What the hell are you doing?” 

“An oversight,” Otabek murmured. “I assumed too much. Never did I once consider that there might be something in between the two floors…”

Yuri’s heart raced. The flight of stairs between basements one and two was unusually long. Could there be a secret entrance, leading to a secret chamber within the staircase? And could there be where the kids had been hiding all this time? Of course, there was still the lingering question of _how_ the hell they managed to get there but…

“Did you find anything?” Yuri asked. Otabek shook his head. 

“Maybe the entrance isn’t found on one of the walls,” suggested Yuri. “Maybe it’s on one of the steps. We might have stepped on it on the way down here, and we didn’t even notice.”

“…Makes sense.”

The duo bounded up the stairs, stopping at the halfway point. “We should split. You can take the bottom half and I’ll take the top. Try to pay more attention to the steps that seem wider than the usual, as well as those that feel different when walked on,” said Otabek.

“I know that!” Yuri snapped.

“Just making sure,” Otabek muttered under his breath. 

Yuri crouched down and started brushing off the sand layered upon the step below the one he was on. When he found nothing, he moved down to the next one. And the next. And the next. The sand was rough and coarse and irritating, but he did not care. If there was indeed a secret chamber leading to Diancie (or the kids), he wanted to be the first one to find it. 

“Hey, over here,” called Otabek. 

 _Damn it! Beaten yet again!_  

It turned out that Otabek had uncovered some sort of handle on one of the steps. It was just a small cylindrical protrusion hidden in the corner, and would be easily missed by anyone not actively searching for it.

Yuri bent down, grabbed the handle, and pulled it vertically upwards. It did not budge. “It’s stuck,” he concluded.

“Did you… try pulling harder?” 

“I pulled the hardest I could, asshole!” said Yuri, clearly affronted.

“Here, let me try.” Otabek reached out his hand and grabbed –

– an enormous pile of sand that fell from the ceiling. It rained all over the two Trainers, their two Pokémon, and all over the steps.

“Argh! Not again!” Yuri sputtered, trying his damndest to brush away every last bit of sand. Fortunately for him this time, his hair was spared, thanks to his jacket’s hood. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mareep and Zubat shaking off the sand as well.

Otabek could not care less. “My god, don’t you feel uncomfortable, with all that icky stuff all over you?” cringed Yuri.

“…Does it bug you?” It was one of those death glares from hell again.

Yuri gulped, saying nothing. 

“Anyway… the handle got buried by all that sand,” Otabek pointed out. “We need to dig it out again.” 

“What’s with that crazy ceiling though?”

“Drilbur. And sometimes Excadrill. From the floor above. They are always underground, digging burrows through the soil. The vibrations cause the ceiling to crumble in the form of sand.”

“Won’t they dig all the way through and fall onto the floor below?”

“They can sense things, Yuri, they’re not stupid.”

With that, the duo knelt down and started brushing the sand off the step again. It took them a much shorter time as compared to before, now that there were two of them working at it.

Otabek grabbed the handle and pulled horizontally. The lid attached to the handle slid open easily, much to Yuri’s chagrin. The duo found themselves peering into a narrow, rectangular hole about six feet deep. 

“I think it can fit both of us if we squeeze enough,” said Otabek, recalling Zubat to its Poké Ball. “If you’re afraid of heights, you can use this ladder on the wall. And remember to close the entrance.” Without warning, he jumped into the hole.

“I’m not afraid!” Yuri called after him. But a ladder…? And for that matter, a handle and a lid concealing an entrance? There was no way a wild Pokémon could have done something like that. So… this secret chamber must have been constructed by a human. Realization suddenly dawned on Yuri, that no matter how many times the entrance to the chamber got unearthed, once sand fell from the ceiling, everything would be reset to the beginning. There would be no trace left of the handle, and no trace left of anyone who had been there before. Using the natural environment of the cave like that to almost perfectly hide something… who could have come up with something this elaborate? And for what reason?

Was all of this the work of Diancie, so that they could hide from Trainers like him and Otabek, who wanted to capture them? Had Diancie always been this clever?

And how, just how on earth did three eight-year-old kids manage to find the entrance before them? 

Yuri, with Mareep now perched on his head, climbed a couple of rungs down the ladder. He slid the lid back on, and continued climbing all the way down. ( _I just wanted to know what a ladder feels like, okay?_ ) He recalled Mareep back to its Poké Ball.

To Yuri’s surprise, the chamber was rather well lit, even without Flash. “There’s a tunnel,” said Otabek, pointing to a small entrance on one of the walls. It came up to his knees. “Light’s coming from there. We better take a look.” He got down to his elbows and started crawling into the tunnel, dragging his legs behind him. Yuri immediately followed behind. It was an excruciating feat. Before long, he could feel his muscles burning and screaming for help, and his arms threatening to give way right there, right then. But he bit hard on his lip and pushed forward, for he the last thing he ever wanted was for the other guy to think that he was weak.

Unfortunately, Otabek seemed to notice his difficulties. “Can’t keep up?” 

“Yes, I can!” Yuri retorted, trying his best to conceal how out of breath he was. “Just, shut up, and keep, crawling!”

“Look, we can always rest if you’re tired.”

“I’m, not, tired!” Yuri wheezed.

“…Whatever you say. As a Trainer, you should really be fitter, you know.”

_It’s a miracle I could even walk in the first place, you asshole!_

The tunnel eventually grew wider and wider. Soon, to Yuri’s utter relief, he and Otabek had space to stand and walk normally again.

But there was still no sign of the kids anywhere.

“I’m starting to think they’re not here,” said Yuri. “Yet I have no freaking idea where else in the cave they might be! It took the combined efforts of the two of us to find this place and crawl all the way here! I doubt they could achieve what we did, with those puny eight-year-old minds of theirs.”

“No, they couldn’t,” said Otabek grimly. “Not on their own. Someone was leading them.” 

“What? Who could have…”

Yuri trailed off mid-sentence. As if on cue, his answer stood right before him.

Two men, both wearing identical masks that concealed their entire faces except their mouths. The left half of the mask was a dark red, and the right half was black. Both of them had the same short red hairstyle, with forehead bangs that spilled over the mask, as well as the same outfits – sleeveless collared shirts, with a black left panel and a red right panel, red plants, black gloves and black boots. Each of the men had a pendant encircling his neck – a deep scarlet rose with the letters, ‘C’ and ‘S’.

Yuri’s blood froze in his veins.

It was the logo of the Crimson Society. 

\---

 

In a secret tunnel in Crystalline Cave, Yuri and Otabek were up against two Crimson Society members.

 _This can’t be happening,_ thought Yuri, beads of perspiration dripping down his forehead. _Crimson Society!_ _Didn’t they disband five years ago?_

He did not recognize the uniform they were wearing ( _Were they Grunts?_ _Since when did Crimson Society have Grunts?_ ), but he would never forget that logo as long as he lived. That scarlet rose… it was seared in his memories like a permanent brand, a constant reminder of all the injustice and unfairness in this universe.

After all, they were the ones who caused his accident.

They were the ones who set him five years back.

They were the ones who ruined his life – ruined his family – and it took him too long to pick himself up again.

Yuri hated them, hated them with all his passion, and were it not for the fact that they had already been defeated shortly after his accident, way before he even awoke from his coma, he would have stormed their headquarters and blown it up in a roaring rampage of revenge. (Or so he imagined. He did not have any Pokémon of his own at that time, nor did he know where their headquarters were anyway.)

But this… was this a revival? A Neo Crimson Society? Whichever the case…

It was his chance for payback.

“How the hell did you brats manage to get here?” sneered one of the Grunts. 

“Where are the kids?” demanded Yuri, ignoring his question.

“Huh? What kids? Did you see any kids? I didn’t see any kids,” said the Grunt mockingly. His partner hooted with laughter.

“Give me a break! I know you’re lying!” said Yuri. 

“Aww, someone’s playing hero!” 

“Even if we knew where they were, why the hell would we tell you?”

“In that case I’ll beat it out of you!” shouted Yuri, burning with rage. “Go! Wimpod! Struggle Bug!”

The Turn Tail Pokémon burst out of its Poké Ball in a flash of light. It seemed to pick up on its Trainer’s emotions, for it looked all pumped up for this fight, its once shy and timid expression replaced by a determined gaze.

At once, the two Crimson Society Grunts called upon their Pokémon.

“Purrloin! Snarl!” 

“Poochyena! Bite!”

Two versus one! There was no way Wimpod could handle this on its own.

“Back me up here, Otabek!” said Yuri.

“No need to tell me,” said the dark-haired guy as he tossed a Poké Ball. “Go, Zubat!” Out emerged the Bat Pokémon, flitting over to Wimpod’s side. 

Wimpod glowed a faint bright green and trembled rapidly on the spot, ready to launch its attack. But the opponent Purrloin was surprisingly faster. It took a deep breath, before letting out a high-pitched, piercing cry, akin to claws scratching a chalkboard. It was one of the worst sounds Yuri had ever heard in his life – he would gladly take JJ Leroy’s trashy electro pop music over this, any day! 

 _So… this is Snarl, huh?_ “Come on Wimpod! You can do it!” shouted Yuri over the noise. “Do your best to ignore it!” 

Wimpod had been shuddering in fear for the whole duration of Purrloin's attack. Its eyes were tightly squeezed shut and it was obvious that it was greatly startled. However, upon its Trainer’s encouragement, Wimpod glowed an even brighter green, and started trashing about violently, releasing green bolts of energy that struck both Purrloin and Poochyena at the same time.

Yuri bit his lip. Struggle Bug was the perfect move to use in this situation. It targeted both opponents in a Double Battle, and it was super-effective against both his Dark-type oponents. Yet no thanks to Purrloin's Snarl, Wimpod’s Special Attack stat was lowered. It did not manage to output enough damage to knock either of its opponents out.

Poochyena let out a menacing howl, taking this opportunity to sink its pointed fangs into Wimpod. Bite was a pretty strong attack, and coupled with Wimpod’s paper-thin defenses, it managed to bring Wimpod down to below half health. The frightened Pokémon let out a yelp and scurried back to Yuri immediately, trembling the entire way.

“Switch out, Wimpod, come back,” said Yuri. “You did good out there.” 

“Your Pokémon…” said Otabek, perplexed.

“It’s Wimpod’s Ability, Wimp Out!” Yuri explained. “It automatically goes back to its Poké Ball when its health reaches half or less, even if it’s still able to battle some more. I guess that’s just the cowardly nature of its species.” But in this situation, the ability had proven to be an advantage. The process of switching had eliminated the Special Attack reduction from Snarl. Meanwhile… Yuri gripped his second Poké Ball in his pocket. He still had his ace. It was not over yet.

“Zubat, Air Cutter!” commanded Otabek. The Bat Pokémon launched several blades of razor-sharp wind at its opponents. Like Struggle Bug, Air Cutter was capable of hitting two opponents at once. The blades hacked and slashed at the opponents, but they stood their ground. Yuri was not surprised; Zubat’s Special Attack had been weakened by Snarl as well. It was then that one of the blades hit Poochyena’s underbelly, causing the Bite Pokémon to keel over instantly!

A critical hit! That caused the attack to deal double the damage, just like in the case of super-effective moves. “Air Cutter,” said Otabek, “is a move that has an increased critical hit ratio. Instead of one out of sixteen, my chance of landing a crit is bumped up to one out of eight.”

“Well, Struggle Bug did take a pretty huge chunk out of Poochyena as well!” said Yuri. “Don’t act as if it’s all your effort!”

In any case, there was one more opponent left on the field.

“Go Litten! Let’s finish this!” said Yuri, calling upon the Fire Cat Pokémon.

“Not so fast!” said the Grunt. “Purrloin, Fury Swipes!” The purple feline Pokémon pounced at Litten, baring its sharp claws. It swiped at Litten once, giving off a trail of white energy. Litten winced at the pain, but it was still standing. Purrloin continued swiping twice, a third time… then it stopped swiping.

Litten was still in the battle! “That’s not enough!” said Yuri triumphantly. Luck was on his side, this time round. Fury Swipes was a move that hit two to five times. Purrloin hit thrice. If it were to hit five times, Litten might not have survived. Yuri, personally, was not fond of that attack, for it was just not reliable enough as a finishing move. And fortunately for him, his opponent’s gamble did not pay off. 

“Our turn, Litten! Fire Fang!”

Litten’s fangs became shrouded with orange flames as it chomped hard onto Purrloin, finally fainting it. Yuri and Otabek won the battle.

“T-these Trainers… H-how are they s-so strong?” stammered one of the Grunts.

"N-not even Purrloin with Quick Claw c-could stop them..." the other whimpered.

“You guys are just weak,” scoffed Yuri. “Now, tell me where the kids are! Or Litten will Fire Fang all over your ass!”

“Ah, whatever. We’ll tell you. There’s no way you can catch up with them anyway,” said a Grunt. He gestured behind him. “As we speak, they’re heading down the tunnel towards Grimmetts City. But that’s like, twenty minutes ago? Like I said, you’ll never catch up.”

Grimmetts City? It lay way beyond Chrysler City, to the north of Dortmund City. To be able to get directly from Chrysler to Grimmetts without going through Dortmund… could the secret tunnel actually be some sort of secret shortcut?

“We’ll see about that!” Yuri recalled Litten back to its Poké Ball and strapped on his skates. “I’m going on ahead,” he said, glancing over at Otabek. There was no way the other guy could keep up without skates of his own. 

Otabek seemed to realize that as well. “Guess I’m staying, then. I have stuff here that I need to do anyway.” 

 _Still hung up on Diancie, I bet._ But Yuri did not care anymore. Now that he knew that his kids were kidnapped by his worst enemy and possibly the most evil organization in the region, saving them was so much more crucial.

And above all… it was his chance at revenge, after so many years.

“Anyway. Thanks for everything,” said Yuri, acting as nonchalant as he could. “I owe you one.”

“In that case… you can be my rival,” said Otabek. 

…

“HUH??? Did I hear you correctly? I thought you had no need for –”

“Do you want to be my rival or not?” Otabek repeated. 

“…About damn time you asked.”

They would shake hands on it, but they were going to become rivals, not Best Friends Forever, and Yuri was kind of in a hurry too, so they just nodded briskly towards each other before heading their separate ways.

Yuri sprinted down the tunnel, not looking back even once. _Crimson Society… Grimmetts City…_ Everything escalated so quickly. But now was not the time to ponder about that sort of stuff. He needed to get to the kids as quickly as he could.

_Alex… Lucy… Ruby… please… don’t let anything happen to you. Those stupid Crimson Society bastards… Wait for me!_


	7. The Yuri Who Fell From The Pedestal (Part III)

The sweltering sun blazed in the mid-afternoon sky, and Yuri had to shield his eyes from the sudden onset of piercing sunlight, as he emerged from an opening in the ground. Before him loomed Mt. Hermosa, tall and foreboding; the _second_ highest peak of the Ibara Region obscured by blankets of wispy clouds stretching on way above what Yuri could see. 

_Where in the freaking world am I?_

He recalled what the Crimson Society Grunts had said about the kids heading towards Grimmetts City. _But this… this isn’t Grimmetts City_ , thought Yuri, taking a quick look-around at his surroundings. He was somewhere out in the wild. _The outskirts of Grimmetts, perhaps?_ Mt. Hermosa… Grimmetts City… he must be somewhere along Route 7.

 _So this is where the secret tunnel of Crystalline Cave leads to, huh?_ After some figuring out, Yuri could sort of piece together everything that had happened just now. The kids had been standing too close to the edge of the staircase leading to basement one, where Crimson Society members had already been pre-positioned. They had kidnapped the kids (probably knocked them out with chloroform or something, those bastards), brought them a little less than halfway down the stairs to basement two, straight into the secret chamber within the staircase, and traveled all the way to Route 7 and Grimmetts via the tunnel. And they managed to do all of this without Otabek noticing, since he had been on basement two trying to catch a Diancie, way below where all the action had been taking place. Plus, thanks to the bright Flash illuminating the cave, they had known that Yuri had been on his way to rescue the kids, which was why there had been two Grunts waiting in the tunnel to drive him back.

But Yuri, together with Otabek, defeated the Grunts, and Crimson Society probably did not expect that. Yuri had no idea why they needed a shortcut tunnel that linked Chrysler and Grimmetts, and above that, why the hell they needed to kidnap three bratty kids, but that was not important right now. Right now… finding the kids was his utmost priority. And based on what he knew about the way Crimson Society operated five years ago… there was a high chance that the kids were going to be grinded into mincemeat. Smashed into smithereens. Obliterated from existence.

Yuri chastised himself for having such morbid thoughts again.

On the topic of the kids, Yuri hoped that he closed quite a bit of the distance gap between him and them on his skates; there was no way that three eight-year-olds walking on foot (or more likely, three unconscious eight-years carried on the backs of Crimson Society Grunts) would get them too far ahead. And amidst all that skating, battling, crawling, digging, and stair-climbing… Yuri was surprised he still had some energy in him left to push forward. Was this the result of urgency and desperation? Was he running on backup fuel? 

It did not matter. If it would help him find the kids, he would gladly take it.

The exit to the secret tunnel was well concealed, in a small corner at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by huge, jagged rocks. Yuri did not bother putting back the lid, in the event that he might need an escape route later on. He turned towards the direction of the city and headed down Route 7, a pebbly slope with crumbly red soil. Lush trees and tall grass lined one side of the path, and a river flowed alongside the other, the crystal clear stream glistening in the sunlight. There were a few Trainers lurking in the tall grass, and Yuri tried his best to avert their eyes, even though a large part of him desired to battle them and test his skills. But now was not the time. Now was just not the time.

At last, he reached the very edge of Route 7. The shimmering skyscrapers of Grimmetts City lay just ahead. He just needed to jump down this ledge and go past this final stretch of flat ground. He got ready his skates…

“Hey, you! Stop right there!”

Yuri turned towards the direction of the voice. It was a Pokémon Ranger. He was wearing a sturdy orange jacket over a black top, and a matching orange-and-black beret.

“There’s a blackout at Grimmetts City,” said the Ranger. “Our electricians are trying their best to get it fixed. Please come back later.”

“But it’s urgent!” Yuri told him. “There’re kids… around eight years old… heading to the city as we speak! They’re being kidnapped by Crimson Society!” 

“Crimson Society? Kidnappping?” said the Pokémon Ranger, frowning. “Please don’t joke about these kinds of things.”

“I’m serious!” said Yuri, becoming more and more frustrated by the second. What a waste of precious time! “Look, I’ll just find my kids and get out of that place, with minimal disruptions, okay? I… I’ll even p-p-p-pay you! If you want!”

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you pass no matter what,” said the Pokémon Ranger, resolute.

“Battle me,” said Yuri. This was the only option left he could think of. “If I win, let me into the city. And if I lose…” 

“And… if you lose?”

“Then… I’ll leave you alone.” It was just one Pokémon Ranger. Yuri had defeated Trainers of that type on his journey before. They generally had pretty sturdy Pokémon that could dish out a couple of hard hits, but it was nothing he could not handle. Plus, he just defeated two Crimson Society Grunts (with some help). A battle against an ordinary Trainer would be nothing compared to that. He could do this. 

“Alright,” said the Pokémon Ranger. “You get the hell out of here if we beat you, alright? You said so yourself. But we’ll set the terms of the battle. It’s you...”

Four other Rangers came out of the tall grass and joined him.

“…versus the five of us.”

Yuri’s jaw dropped. “That’s not fair!”

The Pokémon Ranger shrugged. “That’s what you get when you’re such a persistent little pest!” It was then that Yuri caught a glimpse of red bangs peeking out from under all five of the Rangers’ berets. His heart stopped.

“You guys aren’t Pokémon Rangers… you’re Crimson Society, aren’t you!”

“Don’t joke about these kinds of things,” said the fake Ranger with a smirk. “Crimson Society disbanded five years ago.” 

Yuri clenched his fists in fury.

One against five… that was just plain, downright unfairness. And Otabek was not here to help him this time round. 

But he could do this. He had to.

\---

 

“Go, Shuppet!” shouted the five Crimson Society Grunts. Five Shuppet burst out of five Balls, gray Ghost-type Pokémon that looked like they were covered by large handkerchiefs. 

“Go! Wimpod!” called Yuri. “Struggle Bug!”

Wimpod had been healed back to full after the Double Battle stint in the secret tunnel, thanks to some Potions, and the Turn Tail Pokémon looked all raring to go as it glowed bright green and launched multiple bolts of pent-up energy at its opponents. Struggle Bug managed to hit all five Shuppet at once, but since it was not very effective, only half of the intended damage had been done. The Shuppet came out of that energetic like before, as if nothing had happened to them.

“Is that all you got?” sneered the first Grunt. “Shuppet, Screech!”

“Shuppet, Screech!”

“Shuppet, Screech!”

Yuri thought that Snarl was bad enough, but right now, he was about to find out the hard way that Screech was so, so much worse. The noise than came out from the Shuppets’ mouth was an out-of-this-world unholy, ear-splitting blast that sounded like it came from the unspeakable depths of Ultra Space. And multiplied by three for three Shuppet… Yuri wondered why he was still able to hear anything after all of this. 

He glanced down immediately at his Pokémon. Wimpod was right smack in the middle of all three blasts of noise, completely immobilized with fear. Unlike Snarl, which lowered the Pokémon’s Special Attack by one stage, Screech lowered the Pokémon’s Defense by two stages. And three times of Screech meant that it was a whopping six stages of Defense lowered for Wimpod. It could not possibly go any lower than that.

“Shuppet, Feint Attack!” commanded the fourth Grunt.

His Shuppet vanished in a wisp of smoke and materialized directly in front of Wimpod a millisecond later, tackling it down with its horn. Wimpod was knocked out instantly.

“Wimpod!” Yuri was horrified. It was too much. Nothing could survive that attack – or any attack – when its Defense was completely compromised, especially not Wimpod, whose Defense stats were already pathetically low in the first place.

“How did you like that?” said the Grunt who dealt the finishing blow. “Now, will you just scram already?”

“Not without the kids!” Yuri said defiantly.

“Well… you can see them, I guess,” said the Grunt. He turned towards the tall grass and yelled. “Hey! Bring the kids out here!”

“It’ll be your last time seeing them,” said another Grunt, a sadistic grin plastered across his face. “Treasure this moment.” 

There was a rustling from the grass and a female Pokémon Ranger with red chin-length hair emerged, with Alex, Ruby and Lucy tottering closely behind.

“Everyone!” Yuri breathed. Relief washed over him. “You guys are okay!”

“Yuri! Hi!” said Alex happily. “We met some new friends! They’re bringing us to see a Diancie!”

“Don’t listen to them!” said Yuri “They’re bad guys!”

“No, they’re not!” said Ruby. “They’re really nice! They told us a lot of cool stories on the way here!”

“They’re ly –”

 _Yuri Plisetsky, corruptor of children’s innocence,_ interjected Yuri’s voice of reason _. Even Crimson Society, the ones who kidnapped them and won’t let them go, weren’t so malicious._

 _They need to know the truth! And_ _whose side are you on, anyway?_

_They’ll find out in due time, when they’re older. But for now, don’t ruin their little adventure for them, alright?_

_…_

_Okay. Think of it this way. If they find out that the ‘friends’ they made had been evil and lying all this while, they’ll probably cry and scream, right? And we don’t want to deal with that sort of thing, right?_

_Definitely._ The response was immediate.

“Umm… they’re like, the best people ever! You’re right!” said Yuri, fighting the urge to throw up in his mouth as he said those words.

The female Grunt giggled. “Hey, kids, we can’t find a Diancie! But do you know what’s better? A Pokémon Battle!”

“Yay!” cheered the kids.

“But why is Yuri up against all five of them?” asked Lucy.

“That, my friends, is what we call a... Horde Battle!” said the female Grunt gleefully.

Yuri’s jaw dropped. The nerve of them! Horde Battles usually involved five wild Pokémon who were extremely weak in terms of levels, up against a single strong opponent, which was why they attack in groups, so as to somewhat level the playing field. This, however, involved five Pokémon with levels only slightly below his single attacker. Horde Battle? No, this was called ‘pack bullying’.

“Go Litten!” said Yuri, sending out his remaining Pokémon. “Shadow Claw!” Litten’s right paw became surrounded by a black aura. Three large and sharp claws extended from the aura, slashing at one of the Shuppet in a burst of purple energy, taking it out in a single, super-effective blow.

 _One down, four more to go._ It was unfortunate that Litten had no moves to hit all five Pokémon at once, but Yuri decided that securing the kill, one by one, was much more efficient. The damage output to his Pokémon per round would be lessened this way too, with fewer opponents left. It would be painfully slow, but it was the best chance he had at a victory.

“Shuppet, Screech!” commanded three Grunts.

“Dodge that, Litten!”

Litten leapt straight up in the air, avoiding all three Screech attacks from hitting it dead on. Yuri figured that since Screech was more of a concentrated pulse than a wail that filled the air like Snarl, it needed to be aimed carefully at the target. Hence it would be fairly easy for the target to dodge, if it saw the attack coming.

That did not stop Yuri from hearing that terrible, terrible noise though, to his utter dismay. At least Litten’s Defenses were not lowered this time round. 

“Shuppet, Feint Attack!” The fourth Shuppet disappeared, appeared out of nowhere and struck Litten again, just like what it did to Wimpod.

“You can’t dodge that one!” said the fourth Grunt. “For Feint Attack is an attack that never misses!” 

Litten shook off the damage the best it could, but it was starting to get tired. Yuri would order Litten to take out a Shuppet… but two Screech blasts and one Feint Attack thereafter would end the battle there and then. He knew that Litten could survive another Feint Attack, if it managed to dodge all of the Screech attacks like it did just now. But… what were the chances of that happening? His best course of action was to use a Revive on Wimpod. Litten would forego the chance to attack next turn, but if it fainted from the incoming onslaught, he could switch in Wimpod and the battle would still continue.

So that was what Yuri did. He took out the Revive from his bag and fed the yellow star-shaped pill to Wimpod. Immediately, Wimpod sprang back up to life, its health restored to exactly half.

“I’m going to count on you later on, Wimpod,” said Yuri. “Litten, remember what you did just now! Dodge all the Screech attacks and stand firm when Feint Attack hits!”

“Mrowr!” Litten nodded.

The opponents’ Shuppet launched their deadly combo once again. However, it seemed that they picked up on Litten’s dodging patterns. The last Screech hit Litten square in the face, and the Fire Cat Pokémon was not ready for the painful Feint Attack that followed. It toppled over, unable to battle anymore.

Yuri called upon his half-health Wimpod. But he knew that with only Struggle Bug and Sand Attack, there was no way Wimpod could defeat any of the Shuppet on its own. He needed to find another opportunity to Revive Litten, and carry on his one-hit-one-kill strategy.

And since Struggle Bug did not work… “Sand Attack!” Yuri commanded. 

Wimpod burrowed into the ground and wriggled about vigorously, causing a flurry of sand and dirt to splash all over its opponents’ huge blue-and-yellow eyes. With their vision obscured, the low Accuracy of Screech was further lowered by one stage. Wimpod was able to easily dodge all of them. It then stood its ground and steeled itself, bracing itself for the finishing Feint Attack – and it barely survived, with only a sliver of health left! Yuri was filled with a sudden gush of sheer gratitude for his partner. 

At the sidelines, the kids were chattering excitedly.

“Who do you think will win?” asked Lucy.

“I think the Pokémon Rangers will win!” said Ruby. “There’re four of them! There’s only one of Yuri!”

“Me too!” said Alex. “One more hit on Wimpod and Yuri’s gonna lose!”

 _What the hell, you little shits? Here I am battling to the extreme just so you guys won’t freaking die, and you guys won’t even root for me? This is not all fun and games! You guys don’t know the danger you are in! If I lose, who knows what’s going to happen to you, you silly idiots!_ Yuri barely stopped himself from saying that out loud.

Of course, Yuri was not going to go down just yet. He took out a Max Revive from his bag and gave it to Litten. Litten’s eyes blinked open in an instance, feeling newly energized, with its health brought back to full. It was Yuri’s only Max Revive in his inventory. He found it beneath one of the rocks at the base of Mt. Hermosa near the secret exit, perhaps dropped by one of the many Crimson Society members who passed by. 

Wimpod was not going to survive this round. Yuri silently apologized to his Pokémon as it took the full brunt of a Feint Attack from a single Shuppet.

It was Litten’s turn. There were still four more Shuppet to take down. “Shadow Claw!” 

“Way ahead of you!” said the first Grunt. “You thought we only have one measly trick up our sleeves? Think again! Shadow Sneak!”

All four Shuppet closed their eyes and shuddered as their souls left their bodies into their shadows. The shadows merged into one and came up from behind Litten, delivering an uppercut to its face. It all happened so fast, and Litten had no time to react. Yuri gritted his teeth. Shadow Sneak was an attack with priority, meaning that it always moved first, bypassing the fact that Litten had a higher Speed stat than the Shuppet. The combined Shadow Sneak attack took Litten down to a little less than half health. If Yuri had used a Revive instead of a Max Revive, that would have finished Litten and the battle.

Every turn, he was just inches away from losing. He was hanging by a thread. He was growing desperate.

With Shadow Claw, yet again, Litten managed to take down another Shuppet.

 _Finally. Three more to go,_ thought Yuri, using a Potion on Litten. It would restore some health back to it. Three Shadow Sneak attacks were not going to kill it this round. If the opponents decided to go for the Screech-Feint Attack combo, he was confident that Litten could dodge two Screech attacks and survive a Feint Attack, for Wimpod’s Accuracy-lowering Sand Attack was still in effect.

What combo were his opponents going to use this time? 

“Shuppet, Screech!”

“Shuppet, Screech!” 

“Shuppet, Screech!”

Litten dodged one Screech, but it got hit by the other two, causing its Defense to be lowered by four stages. It was a smart move. By increasing the frequency of Screech attacks, it also increased the chances that at least one of them hit Litten. And Yuri had no Pokémon left, too. There was no way he could switch Litten out and cleanse away the stat changes. Whatever follow-up the opponents did next turn would kill it immediately. 

Yuri was down to two Revives, and he used one on Wimpod. He had no other choice. It would act as fodder for the next turn, and in the meantime, he would bring Litten back with his very last Revive. 

_…And then what?_

He brushed away those thoughts. He would deal with it when the time came. 

Litten keeled over yet again with a single Shadow Sneak from Shuppet. At once, Yuri called out Wimpod onto the battlefield. 

“Go! Wimpod!”

“Still not giving up, eh?” said one of the Grunts. “But whatever! It’ll be over soon enough! Shadow Sneak! All of you!”

“Dodge it! All of it!” shouted Yuri, as he used the final Revive on Litten. Wimpod dodged the two of the attacks but the last Shadow Sneak struck it – hard.

Wimpod’s health was critical, but was still standing! Yuri immediately used a Potion, healing it back to a little more than half health. The Shuppet attacked it with Shadow Sneak yet again, and this time round, it managed to only dodge one of them The other two attacks brought it back to critical health.

Wimpod’s Wimp Out Ability activated. The startled Turn Tail Pokémon scurried back to its Poké Ball.

“Go, Litten!” said Yuri. Wimpod did nothing but buy time, and both Yuri and his opponents knew that the longer this battle dragged out, the more the tides would turn against him, for he was going to run out of resources as some point. He needed to end this – fast. “Shadow Claw!” 

Litten took out yet another Shuppet. Two more left. Both Shuppet used Screech, and luckily, this time round, Litten managed to dodge all of them.

Although Litten’s Defenses were not lowered, it still had only half health remaining. Yuri knew that two swift and decisive Shadow Sneak attacks in the next round had a good chance of taking it out, without giving it a chance to use Shadow Claw, leaving him with only a barely surviving Wimpod. But what if he used a Potion on Litten? Litten would survive the priority moves, for they did not deal too much damage. But what if his opponents anticipated his Potion use, and tried for Screech once more? He would then switch out Litten, let Wimpod take the subsequent incoming damage meant for Litten, and the Fire Cat Pokémon would remain with close to full health. That seemed like the better option.

No matter what, when it all came down to it, it was him and Litten against the world again, huh? When was the last time they had been backed into a corner like this? The first battle against Otabek, perhaps? He and Litten lost spectacularly during that one.

Could they win this time round? Could Litten dodge the remaining Screech attacks? Could Litten carry his team to victory?

Yuri was… honestly, not too sure.

“Do your best, Yuri!” shouted Alex from the sidelines.

“You can do it!” cheered Lucy.

“Come on, push on!” yelled Ruby.

 _Oh, now you’re cheering for me. Thanks for finally figuring out!_ But Yuri had to admit… he felt a surge of motivation he did not realize he needed. There was no room for ‘could he’s, no room for doubt and hesitation at all. For the sake of the kids… for the sake of all those years… he had to do it, no matter what!

It was at this point that Yuri heard a deep rumbling in the direction of Mt. Hermosa. Moments later, the earth trembled and the wind whipped wildly around him and everyone else, as a huge turquoise-green Pokémon with a long neck and feathery white hair on its head descended from the sky, landing in the middle of the battlefield with a mighty roar. It glared ferociously at the Crimson Society Grunts.

“It’s Drampa!” cried the kids. 

Drampa turned round and gazed at Yuri, determination blazing in its eyes. “You… want to fight on my side?” asked Yuri.

“Draa!”

“Alright then, let’s go! Let’s do this for the kids!” said Yuri. “Litten, switch out, come back! Go, Drampa!”

“Hey! That’s not fair! You can’t call upon a wild Pokémon at the last minute!” said one of the Grunts. “Shuppet, use Feint Attack!”

Drampa brushed it off like it was nothing. 

“This battle isn’t fair in the first place!” said Yuri, feeling revitalized now that the tides had turned back in his favor. “So why the hell should I play by your rules? Drampa! Umm… what can you do?”

Drampa opened its mouth and fired a large, purplish-blue beam that crackled and sparkled with energy. Dragon Pulse! It took out one Shuppet instantly, and its surroundings were not spared as well, with a smoking, medium-sized crater where the beam had ended.

“Shuppet… Feint Attack!” said the last Grunt, his voice quivering in terror. Like what had happened the turn before, the attack did virtually nothing to Drampa.

“Finish it! Dragon Pulse!” commanded Yuri. Another purplish-blue beam, and the final Shuppet fainted.

Finally… finally… it was over. Yuri managed to scrape out a win, and it was all thanks to Drampa. Who knew what would have happened if it had not come at that critical moment to save everyone?

“Hooray! Drampa!” shouted the kids in glee, climbing all over the Placid Pokémon, and showering it with hugs and kisses. The rage in Drampa’s eyes had dissipated alongside Crimson Society’s defeat, with only its usual tranquility and affection left for the kids. 

“Will you let them go now?” Yuri said to the Grunts.

“Fine! We’re clearly outmatched by that Drampa anyway,” said the one female Grunt. “Everyone, retreat!”

“Bye-bye!” said Ruby, waving happily. The Grunts did not even look back at them, as they stormed off into the distance.

Yuri could feel his legs giving way as he sank onto the ground, utterly exhausted. It had been indeed, a lengthy, drawn out fight and all that fatigue from earlier was finally catching up with him. Yuri gazed fondly at the two Poké Balls in his hands. Of course, his two Pokémon, who fought with all their might, would be all tuckered out as well, and they definitely deserved a nice, long rest. “Let’s go back to school,” he said to the kids. “Everyone’s waiting for us.”

“But… we haven’t found a Diancie… we haven’t sketched anything…” said Lucy.

“I don’t think… anyone cares anymore,” said Yuri.

“But if we don’t hand in our work, we’re going to get detention!” said Ruby. 

“No… I don’t think you are…”

“My big brother got detention once!” said Alex. “He said his teacher squished him for thirty minutes straight! It was awful!”

“Your big brother’s lying,” scoffed Yuri.

“No, he’s not! Tell him, Drampa!”

“Draa!”

“Okay, fine!” Yuri did not feel like arguing with the kids right now. “In that case, I have an idea…”

\---

 

The sun was beginning to set in the horizon. Thousands of feet above the ground, a Drampa cruised serenely in the air, with a brooding fifteen-year-old and three schoolkids riding on its back. They were on their way back to Chrysler City, back to the Pokémon Trainers’ School.

Yuri had texted Miss Isabella soon after he defeated the Crimson Society Grunts, that he had found the kids safe and sound. Miss Isabella’s response had been instantaneous, saying that everyone would be back in school waiting for them. They had planned to take the secret tunnel back to Crystalline Cave (partly because Yuri was dying to find out whether that asshole Otabek had caught a Diancie by now), but it turned out that when climbing down from Mt. Hermosa, Drampa had unknowingly caused an avalanche of rubble and huge rocks all the way down to the foot of the mountain, permanently sealing the opening to the tunnel. There was no way anyone could access the shortcut from now on.

Yuri wondered if Otabek had been affected by the destruction of the tunnel – that was where he had last seen him after all – but then he remembered it was Otabek he was talking about, _that_ sort of Trainer, and his rival was going to be just fine.

He turned round and caught a glimpse at the three children behind him. They were talking animatedly, marveling at the white cotton-candy clouds all around them. In the end, they still did not know how close to death they had been, just minutes ago. To them, everything that transpired had been just a fun adventure.

“Hey,” said Yuri, addressing the kids. “Do you guys know about the Crimson Society?”

“Crimson Society?” said Lucy. “Miss Isabella told us that we’re going to learn about them during our final year! But everyone in the world has heard of them by now!”

“Yeah, yeah!” said Alex excitedly. “My big brother told me stories about them! There were so many Legendary Pokémon and they were everywhere! Stomping on everything, blasting everything… Boom! Bam! Crash! Totally epic! Hey, Yuri, wanna see me name all the Legendaries? Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, Suicune, Raikou, Entei…”

“That’s fine, Alex,” Yuri interjected at once. “I know my Legendaries too. And by the way… what kind of stories did Crim – I mean the Pokémon Rangers – tell you just now?”

“It’s a story from the Sinnoh Region!” said Ruby. Her voice went all deep and dramatic. “Once upon a time… there lived a boy in Canalive City…”

“…Canalave City!”

“Right, Canalave City! The boy was having nightmares! Spooky nightmares! Super-scary nightmares! For three days… and three nights… he slept in terror! His father was a sailor…”

 _Just an ordinary children’s tale. They didn’t harm the kids. Everything that happened was just a fun adventure…_ Yuri sighed. A large part of him desired to tell the kids the truth, so that they knew just how dangerous Crimson Society had been, and that what happened five years ago was not just some epic, blood-pumping action tale that made for a good summer blockbuster film. But how could he blame them, for thinking they way they did? They had been what, three years old at that time? They would not remember a damn thing. They had not experienced first-hand how scary it had been to tune in to the news and find out that some area had been destroyed again, or how fearful everyone had been as they made their escape to the shelters, or how painful it had felt when he found out that he had lost his parents in the attacks while he was unconscious and he could not do a single damn thing about it…

He could not blame them, for they were just much too far away from everything. And yet today, just minutes ago, they could not have been closer. One day, they would figure out what exactly had gone down this afternoon, but as much as he wanted to be _Yuri,_ _Corruptor of Children’s Innocence_ , he just could not bring himself to do it. Partly because there was always a risk that the kids could not handle the truth, and he did not want to deal with the aftermath of that, but mainly because… 

It would be unfair to them. It was his grudge against Crimson Society, not theirs. He should not involve them in any way possible. The kids grew up in a new era of peace, where people were kinder and friendlier towards one another, where Crimson Society was but a thing of the past, a tale of warning and a firm lesson learnt about the destructive nature of absolute power. The world had stayed that way for five years, and everyone had moved on. It would be unfair, to drag the kids down into his own hell, which he had yet to let go of.

And Yuri himself… he _had_ considered letting go, since everything turned out sort of fine in the end; Crimson Society were defeated and disbanded, he regained consciousness and relearned how to use his limbs – and he was going to make a brand new start for himself as a Trainer, too. But that would also be… letting go of his parents, no? He wondered what they would think of him now, finally a Trainer like them, just like they had always hoped…

But all that did not matter now. He knew; it was confirmed – Crimson Society had returned. And it was a brand new Crimson Society, probably with new goals as well. But why did they target the kids? And how the hell did they manage to make a comeback? Did anyone – except for him and Otabek – know about this? Would people believe him if he told them?

He was just a puny Trainer with zero badges, not a Champion with the strength and prowess to take out a whole organization. But for now… he would do whatever he could, which was to oppose them at every instance, should he encounter them again.

Before long, they arrived at the Trainers’ School. Miss Isabella was waiting for them at the entrance, and when she saw the kids, she burst into tears of relief, embracing them tightly in a group hug. Mr Celestino stood beaming beside her, as well as…

“MILA?” gasped Yuri. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I was returning some books to the library and I decided to drop by for a visit!” the redhead replied. “Miss Isabella told me everything! That her students went missing and you went all out to find them!” She nudged Yuri playfully. “Who knew the little squirt would become a hero one day, huh!”

“Alex, Ruby, Lucy, thank god you guys are okay!” cried Miss Isabella. She turned to Yuri. “We can’t thank you enough!”

“Ah… it’s fine,” said Yuri. “Anyway, Drampa was the true hero. It deserves most of the credit.”

“Thank you then, Drampa!” said Mr Celestino. “Drampa here’s a wild Pokémon, but it loves playing with the students in our school! It’s usually gentle, but it does get pretty worked up if any of the kids get hurt.” He gave the Placid Pokémon a pat on its fluffy head. “We’re going to prepare such a feast for you, aren’t we!”

“Draa!” Drampa roared happily.

“What exactly happened just now?” asked Miss Isabella. “How did you all end up in Grimmetts City?”

“Cri –” The words formed on his mouth, but Yuri swallowed them, remembering that the kids were still around, listening to their conversation. “I’ll text you later,” he said.

“Well, it’s all over, at least!” said Mr Celestino. “The three of you better hurry on home! Your parents must be worried sick! As for you, Yuri…” 

“Huh?”

“Mila told me that you’re going to be challenging her for your very first Gym Badge!”

“Oh… yeah,” said Yuri, his smile frozen on his face.

… 

_…WHAT THE HELL????_

That blabbermouth Mila! When did she tell him? Why did she tell him? Well, he did not explicitly instruct her not to tell anyone, but she should have known better! It was part of the unspoken best friends code… or something like that, right? Horror struck him like a bolt of lightning. Mila was one of the ‘outstanding alumni’ of the school. She must have visited her teachers often in the past. And if that were the case… if that were the case…

How long had Mr Celestino known about his late start?

And if Mr Celestino knew, then… during the reunion… the rest of the class probably knew as well…

This was insane. It changed everything. Yuri had a good mind to give Mila a trashing she would never forget. 

“Yuri, you look like you’re going to explode again,” said Mila.

Yuri flashed a toothy grin at his friend. “Nah, I’m fine! I’m just absolutely livid, that’s all!”

“At me? What did _I_ do?”

“Say, I don’t know… destroyed my entire life?”

A chuckle escaped Mila. “Another ordinary day for Yuri Plisetsky, then! You… need to go and scream somewhere again, don’t you?” 

“Yup!”

_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!_

…

“Ahem! Anyway… good luck for the battle!” said Mr Celestino, patting him vigorously on the back. “We’re all rooting for you! I’m sure you can defeat Mila! You’ve always had the talent in you, you know?”

“Really?” Yuri blurted out. Did the Snarl and Screech attacks from just now damage his hearing or something? “You really do think… I have talent?”

Mr Celestino looked surprised. “Of course! You might be third in class during your time, but you’ve always excelled at the training and battling components! With flying colors, even! You just needed a little more actual battle experience, and your skills just needed a little refinement, that’s all! And now that you’re a Trainer, you have no excuse not to go out there and practice hard what you have learnt in school!” He smiled affectionately at Yuri. “No matter what, I’ve always believed that you’d be a great Trainer. And today just confirms it. As your teacher, I’m really glad that you managed to stand up again after everything that had happened to you, that you never gave up on pursuing your dreams!” 

Yuri could not believe what he was hearing. _Does that mean you’re proud of me? Have you always been proud of me, even when I accomplished nothing so far, even when I failed the school during the Florentina Tournament? How… how is this even possible?_ Even now, Yuri still could not fathom how his former teacher’s mind worked. It would always be a weird relationship between those two.

Yet… after hearing those words, his heart felt at peace, somehow.

“Tell you what, Yuri,” said Miss Isabella, “why don’t we restock your item inventory for your upcoming Gym Battle? It’ll be our way of thanking you!”

“Thanks!” said Yuri, nodding eagerly. _Who wouldn’t want free items?_

“An actual Gym Battle! Can we watch? Can we watch?” said Lucy, tugging on her teacher’s blouse.

“Well, my Gym is all the way back in Arethusa Town,” giggled Mila. “But I can make an exception this time round and hold it here in the Trainers’ School battle arena, since both of us are here, anyway! If the school agrees, that is!”

“Of course!” said Mr Celestino, grinning back at her. “It’ll be a nice educational experience for the students! And besides… I’ve always enjoyed seeing Yuri battle, and I want to see him in action again! It’s been a long time, too!”

“It’s settled then!” said Mila. “See you tomorrow at ten, Yuri!”

“TOMORROW?”

“What’s wrong? Do you need some more time to prepare?”

“No…” said Yuri, his lips parted in a wide smirk. “I just don’t think I can wait that long!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up next... Yuri versus Mila!
> 
> Between 'Feint Attack' and the 'fainting' of many Pokémon during that battle, and the fact that 'Feint Attack' was once called 'Faint Attack'... there might be a few mistakes that escaped during editing. If you happen to spot any, please don't hesitate to tell me! :)


	8. All The Luck He Could Get

Yuri Plisetsky had never been much of a runner – especially since he had roller skates, which were not only faster, but much cooler as well. Yet on this day, he was sprinting – without wheels on his shoes – like a madman on the roads of Chrysler City, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him. 

His very first Gym Battle had been scheduled to be at ten in the morning.

It was already ten-fifteen.

_AHHHHHHH!!! Damn it!!! Why today, of all days???_

The night before, Yuri had set his alarm for nine-thirty on the dot, and he had gone to bed feeling confident that he would wake up way before his alarm rang because of just how excited he was for this fateful battle. Unfortunately for him, he had underestimated how tired his body had been from his ‘adventures’ in Crystalline Cave and Route 7. It turned out that he had instantly fallen asleep the very moment his head hit his pillow, lingering in dreamland even when his alarm blared and blared at the loudest setting. What he dreamt about, he had forgotten; he hoped it had something to do with him winning today’s battle.

Because if it had not… it did not matter, actually. Yuri would accomplish that in reality anyway.

There was a twinge of dull pain in his legs with every step he took, and his shoulders and biceps were stiff and sore. In fact, every bone and muscle in his body was aching. He berated himself for forgetting his skates back in his hostel room and not double-checking everything before leaving for the Trainers’ School, but he figured that was what being in a hurry did to people. And a small part of him relished the pain; it was a sign that he was getting stronger, that weakness was leaving his body. Indeed, both Litten and Wimpod had leveled up quite a bit after the harsh battles with Crimson Society yesterday. And now that they were fully healed up and chipper thanks to a good night’s rest at the Pokémon Center, it was time for them to show off just how much they had grown.

Yuri never felt more ready in his life.

\---

 

The boy in the Liepard-print jacket arrived at the Trainer’s School battle arena a little before ten-thirty, with sweat drenched all over his face. He had expected the spectator stand to be filled with chattering children, but to his surprise, there was no one...

…except for one woman – the Gym Leader herself, the Rock-type expert, Mila. She stood proud in the middle of the battlefield, her arms folded across her chest. When she saw Yuri enter, she waved excitedly at him. 

“Hi, Yuri!” chirped Mila. “How early of you!” 

“Cut the crap, old hag,” said Yuri. “Where’s everyone?”

“Oh, the kids had a lesson before this and apparently, it dragged on for a little too long. So everything got delayed!” 

“You mean I ran all the way here for nothing?”

“You actually _ran_ all the way here?” Mila’s deep blue eyes were wide with shock.

“Umm… yeah,” said Yuri, remembering that for the past few years, all his friend had been seeing of him was him struggling to get up from that damned wheelchair and attempting to walk a few steps while gripping the stupid parallel bars. “I mean, obviously, right? I wouldn’t be here on my Trainer’s journey if I didn’t get my doctor’s approval, right? And I wouldn’t get my doctor’s approval if I can’t walk or run or crawl like other people can.” _Although sometimes, it got more tiring than I hoped_ , he added silently in his head.

“Yeah, I know!” said Mila. “It’s just so hard to believe sometimes! But then again, it’s you we’re talking about! Once you set your mind on something, you’ll keep on doing whatever it takes to reach your goal, even exceeding your limits! Some people call this stubbornness. I like to call it ‘tenacity’. Personally, I kind of admire your perseverance.” 

Yuri stared at her in shock. Mila? Praising him? That was a first. Did someone sneak into her room last night and perform a complete 180 on her personality? Or was he still asleep and dreaming in bed? He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them open. Nope, all of it had been real.

“Oh, it seems like I destroyed your entire life and everything you believed in again,” said Mila.

“You don’t say!?”

“Do you want to go scream somewhere again? You can scream here; no one’s here yet.”

“I’ll… just defeat you later,” said Yuri. After a pause, he added, “So hard that you’ll be the one screaming!” 

“My, my, how confident! I’m looking forward to the match already!” said Mila. “And look, everyone’s here!”

Twenty or so students from Class 2-A streamed into the arena and took their seats at the spectator stands, with Miss Isabella and Mr Celestino following closely behind. “Sorry we’re late,” said Miss Isabella. “I hope the both of you haven’t been waiting long!”

“It’s okay!” smiled Mila. “After all, Yuri here was also la –”

“HEEEEEY! Alex! Lucy! Ruby!” Yuri shouted over her. “How was your drawing assignment from yesterday?”

“Miss Isabella gave us a seven out of ten!” said Ruby. “She says it was very well drawn, but a Litten isn’t a Carbink.” 

“And neither is a Diancie,” Yuri pointed out. “You guys would have gotten a seven either way.”

Mila clapped her hands. “Hi! I’ll leave you to your conversation, but it’s battle time! Yuri, are you ready?”

“Of course,” Yuri replied.

The two took their positions at both sides of the battlefield. It was a rather flat and dusty arena, with medium-sized rocks scattered around the edges. A white Poké Ball logo had been drawn in the middle using chalk.           

“I specially requested it to look almost exactly like the battlefield of my own Gym!” said Mila. “So you’ll get the full Marble Badge experience!” 

“How nice of you,” smirked Yuri. “I shall repay your kindness by giving you a trashing you’ll never forget!”

“All the best, Yuri!” hollered the kids.

“Go get ‘em!” 

“Good luck!” 

Yuri took a deep breath. _So, the time has finally come, huh?_ If he won this, he would be one more step closer to his dreams. He needed all the luck he could get.

“Two against two, let’s begin! Go, Rockruff!” Mila sent out her first Pokémon, a brown Puppy Pokémon with eyes the color of sapphires and fur that gleamed like polished sandstone.

“Go! Litten!” shouted Yuri, as his ace burst out from its Poké Ball in a shower of sparks, landing firmly onto the field.

“Shadow Claw!” The Fire Cat Pokémon’s response was immediate. A black aura engulfed its right paw and morphed into an even larger paw with three long and sharp claws. Litten swiped the claws at Rockruff, aiming for its body, but Rockruff managed to leap out of the way in time. Litten used its aura-shrouded paw to push itself off the ground into the air, closed the distance gap between itself and Rockruff, and swung its paw yet again. Rockruff was unable to dodge that attack. It took the full brunt of the damage, falling back onto the solid ground with a loud ‘thud’.

“That was a nice hit,” said Mr Celestino, “but it’s not sufficient. For one, Shadow Claw only does neutral damage to the pure Rock-type Rockruff. Also, as a Ghost-type move, it does not possess the same-type attack bonus damage when used by Litten.”

 _But it’s the only move Litten can use to damage Rock-types,_ thought Yuri. _The rest of its Fire-type moves are not very effective. There’s no other choice._ _I have to use Shadow Claw until the end!_

“Get up, Rockruff!” said Mila. “It’s not over yet!” 

“Ruff!” At once, the Puppy Pokémon bounced back to its feet. “Not bad,” said Mila to Yuri, “but not good enough to bring us down! Rockruff, Stealth Rock!”

Rockruff let out a sharp howl. As if responding to its cry, a couple of the stones on Yuri’s side of the battlefield trembled, then slowly levitated in mid-air. They continued hovering there, even after Rockruff stopped howling.

 _What’s going on? Is this… Stealth Rock? But nothing’s happening, and Litten’s not taking any damage!_ Yuri thought he knew that move from somewhere before, perhaps one of his Trainers’ School mock battle lessons, yet right now, he just could not recall what it did. But since it was a move that dealt no damage, Litten was safe this time round. Yuri was fully aware that both his Pokémon were weak to Rock-type moves, and that one or two attacks would be more than capable of fainting them. It was crucial that he took as few hits as possible.

He needed to finish Rockruff fast, before it had a chance to do anything else.

“Litten! Once more! Shadow Claw!” This time, Litten did not give Rockruff a chance to react, as it accelerated towards its opponent with blistering speed, slashing it on the head. Another nice hit. Rockruff was still standing, but the attack must have taken quite a toll on its body. Its eyes began to droop, and its four legs started to tremble ever so slightly.

“Rockruff, Rock Tomb!” commanded Mila. 

Rockruff howled again, and even more rocks levitated, this time on Mila’s side of the battlefield. As Rockruff dashed towards Litten, the levitated rocks followed after it. The Puppy Pokémon started running circles around Litten, causing the rocks to completely surround and trap it. Litten had nowhere to run. It tried leaping into the air to escape, but it was knocked down by yet another large rock, which landed down right smack onto the top of the wall of rocks to form a ceiling.

“Attack!” shouted the Gym Leader.

The rocks quivered momentarily before closing in on Litten at the same time, squeezing the Fire Cat Pokémon in all directions. For a moment, there was silence. 

Yuri watched with bated breath as the rocks fell apart one by one, now that Rockruff stopped controlling them. After the dust had dissipated, in the middle of it all, was…

“Litten!” exclaimed Yuri. “Great! You’re still alive!”

“Mrowr!” Litten looked almost as energetic as before.

“No way!” Mila was shocked. “That should have done Litten in!”

Then, she noticed the messy blue coloration around Litten’s mouth. “Of course!” she said. “You let it hold an Oran Berry! When Litten falls below half health, it would eat the Berry and restore some strength! Huh, I have to say… that’s pretty smart for someone like you!” 

Yuri grinned at the praise. All according to plan. That Oran Berry came from the supplies that Trainers’ School gave him yesterday. He hoped that by letting his Pokémon hold it, it would mitigate a large chunk of damage for one turn, without him needing to waste a Potion. And speaking of supplies, Yuri was still in awe at how much his school had been willing to spend on him. He had received so many items – Berries, Revives, Potions, Full Heals, Ethers… It would more than suffice for the Gym Battle - and a good few weeks of his journey. 

And then he noticed the shade. “What? ‘Someone like me’?” Yuri raised an eyebrow. “The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oops, I might have let that one slip!” giggled Mila. “Or did I? Anyway, what’s your next move going to be?”

“Shadow Claw!”

“As expected. Rockruff, quick, Rock Tomb!”

Litten raised its paw, about to deal another strong blow, but Rockruff was ready. It placed a levitating stone in between itself and its incoming opponent. Litten, startled by the sudden obstacle, started to switch directions and attack from another angle, but everywhere it ran, a levitating stone by Rockruff immediately blocked its way. 

Litten was completely surrounded by a rock wall yet again. “Rock Tomb sometimes slows the Pokémon’s Speed!” said Mila. “So Rockruff was able to attack before Litten! Now, finish it!” 

“Litten! Dodge!” screamed Yuri desperately. If this attack hit, Litten was finished.

Rockruff barked twice, and all the rocks started moving towards Litten in the middle. But Litten was not about to get squished yet another time. It spotted an opening between two of the rocks and managed to slip out of the Rock Tomb into the open. There was a loud crash as the rocks collided into one another and dropped heavily onto the ground.

“The downside to Rock Tomb is its lower than average Accuracy,” Mr Celestino explained to the students. “Because of how heavy the rocks are, it can be difficult for the Pokémon controlling them to change their direction. So once the rocks are set on their path, they usually stick to it, making it pretty simple for the opponent to predict their movements and dodge accordingly.”

“Our chance, Litten!” yelled Yuri. “Shadow Claw!”

Litten sprang up into the air and swiped its black aura claws down at Rockruff. A critical hit! Rockruff fainted instantly.

“Yay! Yuri!” Applause and cheers erupted from the stands. 

Yuri pumped his fists into the air. One down, one more to go! Litten did it! Shadow Claw was a move with a high critical hit ratio. If Litten used it again and again, it was bound to score a crit, meaning that it would deal the same amount of damage as in the case of a super-effective move. After seeing how Otabek easily turned the Double Battle with the Crimson Admin Grunts in their favor with the similar Air Cutter, he knew that he would be counting on Litten to land those crits to deal tons of damage and secure their victory.

“My, my, my!” said Mila, recalling Rockruff back to its Poké Ball. “What a shocker! I’m impressed!” 

“Ready to lose yet?” said Yuri. 

“Me? Lose to you? Ha! Not in a million years!” 

The second half of the battle was about to unfold.

“You may have defeated Rockruff,” said Mila, “but my next Pokémon is no pushover either! Go! Tyrunt!”

The Gym Leader’s final fighter was a bipedal dinosaur-like Pokémon, with craggy brown skin and white spikes on the back of its neck. But its most striking features were its powerful jaws, which formed a large proportion of its face. It let out a shrill roar, baring its small yet pointed canines. 

“Litten! Shadow Claw!” Yuri commanded. His partner slashed with all its might at its opponent, directly onto its enormous head. Tyrunt winced a little at the impact, and then shook it off as if it was nothing. 

“Damn it!” said Yuri. 

“Unlike Rockruff, Tyrunt actually has a pretty high Defense stat!” said Mila. “Your Physical Shadow Claw won’t be able to scratch it that easily! Now it’s my turn! Tyrunt, Dragon Tail!”

Using its strong jaws, Tyrunt grabbed Litten by the head and tossed it into the air like a ball. It then leapt up after the Fire Cat Pokémon, as its short tail began to glow a deep purple and grow to twice its size. With Litten positioned exactly where it should be, Tryunt swung its tail with full force, causing Litten to fly all the way across the battlefield, from Mila’s side to Yuri’s! Litten was going to smash into the spectator stands!

At this moment, as if on instinct, Yuri’s Poké Ball in his hand opened up and Litten was recalled back before it could crash. Yuri heaved a huge sigh of relief.

“Dragon Tail is a move that does damage, and at the same time, knocks the opponent’s Pokémon back to its Poké Ball,” said Mila. She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head to one side, grinning expectantly at him. “So it’s time to switch out to your next Pokémon, Yuri!”

“Don't mind if I do, old hag! Go, Wimpod!”

Yuri’s second Pokémon burst out of its Poké Ball onto the battlefield. At once, the jagged levitating rocks on Yuri’s side of the field closed in onto Wimpod, digging into its body.

“Finally, Stealth Rock comes into play!” exclaimed Mila. “It inflicts damage to any Pokémon you switch in! And not only that, the amount of damage it does is based on your Pokémon’s type effectiveness against Rock-type moves!”

“But… both of Yuri’s Pokémon are weak to Rock!” Lucy cried out from the stands.

“Yes, indeed!” Miss Isabella replied. “Which means that they'll be taking quite the beating! On the other hand, Stealth Rock won’t have much effect when up against Pokémon who are resistant to Rock, like Ground-types for example.”

“It’s like having a second Rock-type ally in the battle!” Alex observed. “But one who’ll only attack right at the start!”

“Exactly!” said his teacher. “We call these kinds of moves ‘entry hazards’!”

Already, Wimpod was down a quarter of its health, and the turn had not even started yet! Yuri was starting to panic. Tryunt would only need just one attack to completely shut down Wimpod… 

…if the attack hit. If Yuri could make Tyrunt miss… if Wimpod could dodge everything Tyrunt threw at it… He used this strategy yesterday against the Crimson Society Grunts, at a place where his teammates could not afford to go down just yet. This was another similar place. He could do it again.

“Sand Attack!” said Yuri. Wimpod kicked up a pile of sand into Tyrunt’s face, obscuring its vision ever so slightly. The rocky and dusty battlefield environment helped, too. The Royal Heir Pokémon coughed and sputtered, as it tried its best to wipe the sand off with his hands. However its head was too big, and its stick-thin arms were too short to reach its eyes. 

“Dragon Tail!” At its Trainer’s command, Tyrunt attempted to seize Wimpod in its jaws, but its aim was compromised and Wimpod managed to scurry out of the way in time.

Yuri immediately understood Mila’s strategy. Whether Dragon Tail knocked out Wimpod or not, Litten would be sent out next turn. Stealth Rock would then take a chunk out of Litten’s health, making it extremely vulnerable. Tyrunt would use Dragon Tail on Litten and force the switch from Yuri. Then Wimpod would reemerge and take Stealth Rock damage, before getting hit by a Dragon Tail in the face… Yuri’s team would be worn out before he knew it.

But Yuri had two things going for him. Firstly, there was the fact that Dragon Tail had low priority, meaning that he could get an attack off first to counter her strategy before getting switched out. Secondly and more importantly, Dragon Tail had a pretty low Accuracy, even lower than Rock Tomb, meaning that Yuri would not need to switch out his Pokémon at all, if the move did not hit. Which meant that Wimpod would need to keep using Sand Attack over and over again to lower Tyrunt’s Accuracy. With a bit of luck, his Pokémon could dodge those devastating attacks. They had to, or it would be game over.

“Sand Attack, again!” shouted Yuri, and Wimpod responded by spraying more sand onto Tyrunt’s eyes.

“I can see through all your tricks, Yuri!” said Mila, brimming with confidence. “It’s so obvious what you’re trying to do! And all I need to do to counter it is to use a move with a higher Accuracy! So Tyrunt, use Stomp!”

“Wimpod, dodge it!” said Yuri. It was not one those moves that always hit no matter what, like Faint Attack. Tyrunt had two stages of its Accuracy lowered. There was still a good chance it could miss.

“Oh no, you don’t!” shouted Mila. Tyrunt raised a large four-toed foot, casting an ominous footprint-shaped shadow over Wimpod. Petrified, Wimpod started running out from the shade into the open, but found itself yet again under another footprint-shaped shadow. It tried changing directions, swerving to the side, but as soon as it let up that momentum, Tyrunt landed its foot firmly onto the ground, trampling the Turn Tail Pokémon with a splat!

“No! Wimpod!” yelled Yuri. Tyrunt lifted its foot and Wimpod was absolutely crushed underneath, dazed and in shambles, but fortunately, still alive. Somehow, it still had the energy to make a beeline towards its Poké Ball as its Wimp Out Ability activated.

Yuri gritted his teeth. Wimpod’s Ability did more harm than it intended. It meant that he had to make a switch again. And without Tyrunt using Dragon Tail, too. The moment his Litten entered the battlefield, levitating rocks struck it from all directions, taking it down to about a quarter of its health. 

“Have a Potion, Litten!” said Yuri. It ensured that Litten survived the next hit.

“Dragon Tail!” yelled Mila. Tyrunt dashed across the battlefield towards Litten, building up speed as it ran. The moment it got close enough, it spun round as its glowing tail made contact onto Litten’s body, and with a ferocious swing, Litten got sent back to its Poké Ball yet again. 

 _How is Tyrunt hitting every move? Where is luck when I need it the most?_ Yuri thought, as he sent out Wimpod for the second time. After Stealth Rock damage, Wimpod was standing by the skin of its teeth, with only less than ten hit points left. Yuri could use a Potion, so that Wimpod would not faint this turn, or he could let Wimpod faint and Revive it later. If he did the former, Tyrunt would use Dragon Tail and Yuri was not sure if Wimpod could avoid it, with two failed dodging attempts on his side already. Both options involved Litten getting sent out and taking a beating from Stealth Rock. Then Litten would get hit by Dragon Tail, and the cycle would continue.

But if Yuri let Wimpod faint this turn and not bring it back for the rest of the battle… it would shut down the Dragon Tail-Stealth Rock combo for good, for there would be nothing to switch into. The fate of the battle would then lie solely on Litten, to use Shadow Claw repeatedly, until it lands a critical hit.  _And,_ thought Yuri, _isn’t that what ‘luck’ is really all about? Instead of wishing and waiting for the heavens to favor me, I myself will create openings; create opportunities for myself, and make it so that the heavens would want to shine down on me!_  

“Sand Attack!” commanded Yuri. If two stages of Accuracy was not enough, perhaps three would do the trick. He would lower the probabilities of Tyrunt hitting its attacks as much as he could. Tyrunt responded by using Stomp, instantly eliminating Wimpod from the battle.

“Good job, Wimpod,” said Yuri, recalling his fallen comrade. “Go, Litten! We must not let Wimpod’s sacrifice be in vain!”

_I’ve done everything I could. Sand Attack and Shadow Claw… I’ve done my best to pull luck to my side. So then, luck, don’t disappoint me! And Litten… it’s all up to you now! I… I believe in you! It’s the only thing left for me to do!_

Yuri gave Litten another Potion to counteract the Stealth Rock damage. “Tyrunt, Rock Tomb!” said Mila. The Royal Heir Pokémon got ready its levitating rock wall, but thanks to the sand shrouding its eyes, it could not pinpoint where Litten was on the battlefield. The rocks landed a good ten or so inches away from its opponent, dealing no damage at all. 

“All right!” cheered Yuri. “Let’s keep this up!”

 Annoyance was starting to show on Mila’s face. “Looks like three hits of Sand Attack isn’t something I should take lightly. But we can do this, Tyrunt!”

“Litten, Shadow Claw!” _And please crit!_

It did not crit. But the opponent’s health was starting to wear down. Litten was about to back away from Tyrunt after landing that blow, but it found itself surrounded by levitating stones, with no escape route in sight.

“All Tyrunt had to do was wait for Litten to make contact with it using Shadow Claw, and surround _itself_ with Rock Tomb!” said Mila. “Because right now, that’s the only way it can know exactly where Litten’s position is! Now, Tyrunt! Rock Tomb!”

Tyrunt jumped over the stone wall it just built, before throwing its head back and slamming down a huge stone ceiling on top of the wall. The ordeal left Litten with its health in the critical zone.

“I’m using a Potion!” said Yuri promptly. His heart was hammering in his chest. What a close call!

“You know what, I’m going to use a Potion too!” said Mila. “I never had a chance to use anything this fight.”

Yuri’s jaw dropped. He completely forgot that Gym Leaders usually came prepared with items too. “What else do you have with you?” he asked.

“I can’t tell you!” winked Mila. “That’ll spoil the fun. Also, it’s against the rules. Hmm… as a hint, we’re not allowed to use any items that can revive our fainted Pokémon. So don’t worry about Rockruff coming back to life and wrecking your whole team.” 

“Who the hell set those rules?” asked Yuri with a grimace.

“The Pokémon League Association, of course! They were the ones who issued you your Trainer Card in the first place! Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of them!”

“Of course I have,” said Yuri. He honestly had not.

The Potion restore Tyrunt back to full health and Litten, a little less than full. Now that Yuri was aware of Mila’s item usage, the stakes just got a whole lot higher. He needed to take down Tyrunt before Mila had a chance to heal it back. He needed a huge burst of unexpected damage. A critical hit. More than ever.

“Let’s get back to the battle proper!” said Mila. “Tyrunt, Stomp!”

“Litten, Shadow Claw!”

“Huh… I didn’t expect Stomp from Mila,” said Miss Isabella. “You’d think she’ll go for Rock Tomb, for the quick super-effective kill.”

“Yes, but don’t forget the Accuracy drop,” Mr Celestino replied. “Even though the damage from Stomp isn’t as great, it has, after all, a higher chance of landing. That might better secure the win. I think this is Mila’s way of expressing that she doesn’t want to take any more chances.”

“She hit the previous Rock Tomb though,” said Miss Isabella thoughtfully. “She could try doing the same thing again.” 

“Yet that move just now also gave Yuri and Litten some insight into Tyrunt’s attacking patterns, how Tyrunt would be able to land its attacks when it can’t see properly. With this knowledge, they can now dodge more effectively,” said Mr Celestino. He broke into a wide smile. “I think Yuri really had Mila cornered this time.”

“Does this mean Yuri will win?” asked Alex eagerly.

“It’s still out in the open,” Mr Celestino replied. “After all, Tyrunt’s Attack stat is pretty high. Even Stomp, with the reduced damage, can do quite a number on Litten.”

Litten’s black aura claws emerged from its paw yet another time, as it hacked at its opponent’s head. Tyrunt immediately grabbed Litten with its tiny hands and placed it under its large left foot. It raised that foot a couple of inches higher…

“Litten, hurry! Run away!”

_Crash!_

It was too late. Litten got flattened like a pancake. Its health got instantly taken down into critical.

“Shadow Claw!” commanded Yuri.

“Oh? Not healing up?” said Mila. “Alright then, let’s end this! Final attack, Tyrunt! Stomp!”

Between healing and attacking… Yuri would choose the latter this time round. Sure, healing would be the much safer choice, and if Litten failed to dodge, at least he would still remain in the battle. At least he would not lose to his friend there and then. And he could keep healing his Pokémon every turn too... but that would not accomplish anything. That would not take down Tyrunt. He needed to fight to win, not fight to not lose.

To win meant he had to risk it.

To win meant he had to attack.

Yuri saw the Stomp coming from miles away. He understood Tyrunt’s movements. Its timing. He could do this. “On my shout… dodge, Litten!”

Shadow Claw brought Tyrunt down to around half health. Tyrunt caught Litten by the tail after the attack, bringing it down to the ground below its foot. As soon as it let go… 

“NOW!” exclaimed Yuri.

Litten’s face perked up as it rolled over to the side, avoiding the Stomp completely.

“No!” cried Mila.

“Nice!” yelled Yuri. What a clutch move! _It’s the start of our comeback! I just need to get the timing down and Litten would dodge in time with my shout!_

_But I know you’re tired Litten, and to be honest, I am too! Let’s end this, alright? If you don’t crit, Mila will heal and it’s back to square one! Land a crit, and it’ll be all over! We’ve come a long way since Arethusa Town, and it’ll be a pity if our dreams get crushed even before they take flight! So let’s win this!_

“Litten! Shadow Claw!” Yuri commanded, as he squeezed his eyes shut, and hoped.

_You need to do this, Litten! You need to land a critical hit! You need to land…_

…A critical hit!

Tyrunt’s eyes hazed over and it collapsed to the ground, with no more strength left in it to battle. Mila’s expression was priceless.

Yuri’s mouth was agape in shock. He blinked a couple of times, still unable to process what just happened. No, this was not a dream. Litten did it.

They won.

\---

 

“My, my, my! Who knew the little squirt would beat me in a battle one day, huh? Well, you have to be good at something, I guess!” 

It was midday. The battlefield had been all tidied up and everyone – Yuri, Mila, the teachers, and the students – were gathered in the middle to witness the most important event of Yuri’s journey so far.

“What do you mean?” Yuri smirked. “I’m better than you at everything! You’re just too blind to see it! Just like your Tyrunt just now.” 

“Ooh, rubbing salt in my wound, I see how it is,” said Mila. “Oh well, you deserve it! And you deserve this too! Here, the Marble Badge!”

There was thundering applause from the audience as the Gym Leader pinned the challenger’s very first Badge onto his Badge Case. “That was a great battle, you two!” said Mr Celestino, beaming from ear to ear. “And congratulations, Yuri!”

“Thanks!” Yuri could not help but smile back too.

“It was both entertaining and educational!” said Miss Isabella. “I’m sure every one of you learnt something new today, am I right?”

“Yes!” chorused twenty or so kids.

“And what must you say?”

“Thank you, Yuri! Thank you, Mila!”

“Aww, good kids!” said Mila fondly. And even Yuri could not help but agree.

“Anyway Yuri,” Mila continued. “As a Gym Leader, I definitely feel salty about my loss. But as your friend, I’m happy for you. It’s… been a long time since I saw you smile like this, you know?”

Yuri could not believe it. All this while… was Mila actually worried about him? A pang of guilt struck him. Amidst the accident, the coma, and the rehab, Yuri knew that he was not being the nicest person to his best friend, and perhaps that made her even more concerned for his well-being. It was weird – extremely weird – seeing Mila’s soft spot emerge today, but it made the insult-hurling machine that he knew and loved seem somewhat more… human.

“Hey, umm… I’m sorry? Please, don’t worry about me anymore,” said Yuri. “Really, I’m okay now.” Then, after a brief pause, he added, “You have other things to worry about, anyway. Like your winning streak.” 

Mila laughed, wiping a finger at the corner of her eyes. “Yeah, I know, I know! Just promise me this, okay? You are only allowed to get happier from now on! I’m saying this for your own good! Don’t be such an emo edgelord all the time, alright? It’s not healthy for your heart!” 

“HEY! I’m not an edgelord!”

"Oh, sure you aren't!" 

“Ahem! Anyway… your next Gym is at Dortmund City,” said Mr Celestino. “Just go through Crystalline Cave and you’ll get there in no time!” 

“Right!” said Yuri, brimming with determination. After his victory, he felt like he could take on the world. “I’m off then! Thanks for everything, by the way.”

“No, Yuri, thank _you_! Always remember, we at Trainers’ School will be cheering for you all the way!” said Miss Isabella.

Yuri left his alma mater with the well wishes of his juniors ringing in his ears…

…if it were not for another different sort of ringing, coming from his Xtransceiver. He picked up the call.

“Yuri!” It was Minako. “Your Pokédex! It’s ready! Come to the lab now!”

 _Just in time!_ Yuri immediately made his way to Professor Yakov’s laboratory. Minako was waiting for him at the entrance. 

“Here you go! Your very own Pokédex!” She handed him a flat black card-shaped device, with a glowing Poké Ball logo in the middle. “Press the button in the middle of the Poké Ball to use it!” 

Yuri did as he was told. Instantly, the two halves of the Pokédex split open, revealing a holographic panel with a list of all the Pokémon in the world. Yuri scrolled to Litten’s name and pressed it.

“There! Everything you need to know about Litten!” said Minako. “Its evolutions, the moves it can learn, its strengths and weaknesses, and even a short write-up! And that’s not all! There's its height, weight...”

Yuri did not hear her. He was completely transfixed onto the screen, busy looking up every single Pokémon he had encountered in his journey so far. 

“Pyukumuku… What? ‘It can eject its internal organs, which it uses to engulf its prey or battle enemies’? Then that was… its organs? Arghhh! Gross!!! And Shuppet… ‘It loves vengeful emotions and hangs in rows under the eaves of houses where vengeful people live’. Huh, how ironic…”

Minako looked amused. “Oh dear, it seems that our Yuri found a love for reading!”

Yuri nodded slowly. “Somehow, it’s more interesting than I thought.”

“Professor Yakov had it customized in black, since you seemed to like that color a lot.”

“Huh… thanks. That’s awfully nice of him…” 

“I know right? Perhaps he sees the potential in you! So don’t disappoint him, all right? Use your Pokédex and become the best Trainer in the region!” 

“Goes without saying,” said Yuri.

It was yet another one more step forward for him. One more step closer to his dreams.


	9. Bonus - A Day With Pink Blossoms

( _Five years ago, on a day with pink blossoms…_ )

 

Elite Four Victor Nikiforov, twenty-two years of age, stared in childlike wonder as a single pink petal floated down from the blanket of cherry trees high above him, spiraling in circles in the crisp spring air before landing softly on his outstretched palm. 

“Beautiful,” he breathed, eyes sparkling with delight. “Everything’s in full bloom. I’ve never seen Florentina Town this beautiful!” 

“That’s the Florentina Festival for you,” said Elite Four Christophe, grinning amusedly beside him. “I still can’t believe you’ve never gone to one of these before! It’s an annual tradition for practically everyone in Ibara!”

“I know, Chris!” said Victor, sighing wistfully. “Too bad I’ve missed every year! I’m either defeating someone at battle, or getting interviewed for some magazine, or gracing some ribbon-cutting ceremony! But, oh well! At least I’m able to attend this time round! Better late than never, huh?”

“Indeed,” Chris replied. “This year’s going to be a fun one, I bet. It says here in this brochure that Tower Tycoon Palmer and Factory Head Thorton from the Battle Frontier are going to make appearances as special guests.”

“Wow!” said Victor. “Maybe we can meet them! I’ve always wanted to go to the Battle Frontier someday but…”

“…you’re too busy,” Chris chuckled. “I know, I know! All four of us are! And even more so after the Champion announced her retirement last month. You do know that one of us is going to take her spot, right? Since there isn’t anyone else worthy enough in a long time…” 

“Yeah,” said Victor, placing a thoughtful finger on his chin. “I wonder who’s it going to be though! Could it be me? Or you? Or JJ? Or Phichit? Who knows? Who’s the Association going to choose? How exciting!”

Chris shook his head exasperatedly. “Didn’t you read your email? They’re going to make us battle each other to decide! The new Champion’s going to be the one who emerges victorious, of course! That’s why everyone’s doubling up on their training recently!” 

“Even JJ?” 

“Especially JJ! He thinks being Champion will be a huge boost to his pop star career!” 

“I’ve always maintained that one hit song is all he needs…”

“Anyway, that’s not the point! The point is, everything won’t matter if they can’t find someone else to take up the vacated Elite Four position, when one of us gets upgraded to Champion,” said Chris. His gaze turned uncharacteristically serious. “In a week, there’s going to be a potential candidate coming in for a test and an interview. The Association Director wants all of us to be there to gauge his skills. And you better not run off to somewhere with a lame excuse again. My promotion depends on it.” 

“ _Your_ promotion?” Victor teased. “What makes you so sure that you’ll be the one?” 

“I can beat JJ and Phichit with one hand tied behind my back,” said Chris. His emerald eyes twinkled mischievously. “And as for you… I’m banking on the extremely high possibility that you’ll oversleep and forfeit your chance at becoming Champion.”

“Nah, I won’t do that! I have you to remind me as always, right?”

“Man, sometimes I wish I weren’t such a good friend.”

The two of them continued walking in comfortable silence, soaking in the lively festival mood and admiring the incredible view of the cherry blossoms. Food stalls lined both sides of the street, the mouth-watering aroma of all sorts of eatables wafting into the air and tickling Victor’s nostrils. It all looked so delicious. The Elite Four member had the dying urge to try every single thing he saw from every single one of the stalls.

“I’ll have a Sparkling Roserade Wine… and a Shalour Sable… and a slice of Miltank Cheese Pizza… and a box of Florentina Bonbons!” 

“Wow, Victor, I didn’t know you can eat this much!” Chris remarked. 

“I can’t!” Victor grinned back. “You’re going to finish it for me! And in fact, give me another box of Florentina Bonbons, please! Those are really good stuff!”

“Oh, come on!” said Chris. “I know it’s your first time here, but would you please calm down? You’re totally acting like a little kid! You have an image to upkeep!”

“Ah, yes, right,” said Victor, straightening his coat and flicking his silver bangs. “Of course. But then again, when was the last time I had – oh look, a Wheel of Fortune!”

There was a huge wheel in front of one of the game stalls, divided into ten tiles, each with a different color. At the back of the stall, Victor noticed, were tons of plushies, souvenirs and knick-knacks. There were socks, masks, key chains, and stationery… but what caught Victor’s eye was a gigantic Charizard plushie, its usually intimidating expression replaced by cute doll eyes and a friendly smile.

“I’m aiming for the Charizard!” said Victor, giving the wheel a spin. Round and round it went… then it stopped, with the pointer pointing to a purple tile.

“Congratulations!” said the stall owner. “Here’s your prize – a Sylveon mask!” It was made of laminated cardboard in the shape of Sylveon’s face, with an elastic band attached to the back and two round holes for eyes. A plastic ribbon bow was stapled to the top. Victor strapped the mask over his face. “How do I look?”

“Absolutely stunning,” said Chris. “Let me have a go too. I bet I can win the giant Charizard.” 

“Oh? Who’s the one acting like a little kid now?” said Victor, his laughter stifled by the cardboard.

“Hey, any chance I get to compete against you, I’ll gladly take it,” Chris replied. He spun the wheel. Round and round it went… eventually stopping at an orange tile.

“Congratulations! Here’s your prize – a jar of Lava Cookies!”

“I'd say you win, hands down!” said Victor, as they walked further along the street in search of more fun things to do. “Sure, the mask is pretty nice, but those Lava Cookies look delicious!”

“Ah, if only that’s true for when we battle each other,” said Chris with a sigh. He unscrewed the lid of the jar, pulled out a Lava Cookie and offered it to Victor. “Want one? I know you do.” 

“Not now,” replied Victor, “but eventually! I’m not done with the rest of my food yet! Anyway… where are we heading to?” 

“The Florentina Stadium!” said Chris, scanning his brochure. “Apparently there’s a battle going on right now!”

“A battle!” Victor’s face perked up with joy. He always loved Pokémon battles. From watching others duke it out to fighting in battles himself, alongside his trusty companions… from heart-stopping, back-and-forth, ferocious fights that raged on for hours to clean and clinical strategy-based fights… To him, battling was like breathing. Battling was life itself. Yet too bad things had gotten… somewhat stale recently. He was winning everything he fought by a landslide. Anything anyone could throw at him. If only someone could come along and give him a challenge he would never forget, if only someone could reignite the fire within him! The battle for the Champion title seemed promising, but Victor knew better – if Chris could beat JJ and Phichit with one hand tied behind his back, he could beat all three of them with _both_ hands tied up and his eyes blindfolded. 

“It’s the Florentina Festival Open Tournament!” said Chris. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of it before! It’s the main event of the Festival!”

“No, I really haven’t!” said Victor, his eyes wide like saucers. “Can we participate?” 

“Ha, the applications were months ago! And according to the brochure, we totally missed the Group Stages! It’s the Round of Sixteen now!”

“Ah, what a pity!” lamented Victor. “Maybe next year!”

“If you remember to sign up, that is!” Chris replied with a wink. “In the meantime, let’s watch the Tournament! We can finish all our snacks while we’re at it.”

“My thoughts exactly!”

It turned out that the both of them arrived just in time. The first battle of the Round of Sixteen was about to begin. He and Chris found coveted front-row seats, which really, was not all that difficult of a task; it was the Round of Sixteen, not the Grand Finals after all, and the Stadium was pretty empty, with only a handful of spectators scattered here and there. 

The two participants took their sides. To the left was a sullen schoolboy, his pale blonde hair in a smart bowlcut and his piercing green eyes glaring at… nothing in particular, actually. Maybe he was the kind of person who was angsty all the time. He seemed around nine or ten years old. “He looks too young to be a Trainer,” Victor commented. “How is he able to participate?”

“You think so?” said Chris. “I think he looks old enough to be starting out! But whichever the case, the Tournament uses rental Pokémon, courtesy of Factory Head Thorton, of course. Also, items are not allowed, except those already held by the Pokémon, so no Full Restores, no Max Revives, and all that kind of stuff. So no matter how young or how old you are, whether you’re a Trainer or not, anyone and everyone can enter!” 

“Wow!” breathed Victor. This means that all one needed to achieve victory was a wealth of battle tactics and skills, and of course, knowledge on the different kinds of Pokémon! What a fun concept! Victor would love to try that some time. It would be a nice change of pace from using the same old boring team of Pokémon all the time and just manhandling his opponents… 

His Poké Balls stirred in his bag. _Ahaha, just kidding, just kidding!_ he assured them. _You all know I’ll still choose you above any other rental Pokémon!_  

To the right was an older male, around eighteen years of age. The first thing Victor noticed was just how _cute_ he was. He was of average height, not too overtly muscular like some of the Black Belts Victor had faced in all those years as an Elite Four member. Rather, he was lean and fit, a physique that suggested some form of inner strength and capability as a Trainer – and looked pretty damned hot as well. His tousled jet-black hair looked so effortlessly perfect, with choppy bangs falling over his forehead and ending at the sweet spot just right above his eyebrows. A pair of navy-framed glasses perched upon the bridge of his nose, framing his deep-set charcoal-brown eyes. Victor could get lost in them forever. What shone in those pupils was… unreadable, actually. Was that nervousness? Or was he trying to conceal his confidence? What exactly was he feeling, standing in that battlefield? Joy? Apathy? Determination? Anger? Pride? Sorrow? Victor could not tell. He could only stare and wonder, and wonder and stare at the beautiful enigma that was…

“Who’s that? The one with the glasses?” Victor whispered excitedly to Chris. _I just have to know his name!_

“Hold on, let me check the brochure… Ah! There it is! Yuuri Katsuki! His opponent, the schoolkid… that’s Yuri Plisetsky!”

“Two Yuris? What a coincidence!” 

“I know, right? We should give them nicknames, to differentiate between the two.” 

“How about ‘Yuri’ and the ‘cute Yuri’?” Victor suggested.

“Eh, he’s not that cute of a kid,” said Chris. “He looks like he has way too many anger issues… oh wait. Oh my god. You’re talking about the other guy!”

“Don’t you think he’s so… dreamy?” sighed Victor longingly, blushing bright pink like a Jigglypuff. Fortunately, his face was covered by the Sylveon mask, so Chris could not tease him about it. 

“You have weird taste, my friend,” said Chris, eyeing him suspiciously. “He looks way too plain and ordinary, like any other guy you see on the streets! Just what did you see in him?” 

“I don’t know,” said Victor, completely enthralled. He was crushing hard, and he knew it. “But somehow, I have a feeling that there’s more to him than he looks!” 

Somewhere in the stadium, a bell chimed, signaling the start of battle.

\---

 

“Go! Ambipom!” shouted the Yuuri on the right. “Use Double Hit!”

“Go! Girafarig!” shouted the Yuri on the left. “Use Agility!”

Ambipom’s hand-like tails glowed bright pink, as they swished and slammed onto Girafarig. One hit… two hits! Girafarig was taken down to around half its health already! Ambipom winced a little from the exertion.

“Oh! Ambipom’s holding a Life Orb!” mused Victor. “That’s not an item you see every day!” The Life Orb greatly amplified Ambipom’s damage output, at the cost of some of its health. No wonder it could deal such a number onto Girafarig. 

The Long Neck Pokémon was not fazed. It started to vibrate rapidly on the spot, getting more and more pumped up. Agility! Victor knew that the two-stage Speed stat increase would make it faster than Ambipom, and let it move first the next turn.

Girafarig pulled off another Agility, further increasing its Speed by another two stages. That should guarantee it the first attack over almost any other Pokémon. But what Ambipom lacked in Speed, it made up for damage with another shattering Double Hit, taking Girafarig down to critical health. Feeling in a pinch, Girafarig started chewing the Berry it was holding. 

“Ah, it ate the Petaya Berry!” said Chris. “With its Special Attack increased, its next move should finish off Ambipom. Probably a Stomp or a Psybeam. I doubt Ambipom can survive that, especially after Life Orb damage.” 

“Baton Pass!” commanded the blonde Yuri. Girafarig let out a whinny and returned to its Poké Ball in a beam of light. Out popped a Flygon – a Dragon-and-Ground type Pokémon with large green antennas and rhombus-shaped wings. Ambipom attempted a Double Hit, but Flygon dodged the attack masterfully with a barrage of twists and turns.

“Oh, I see how it is!” said Victor, clapping his hands together. “It’ll be rather dangerous to let Girafarig sweep the rest of the battle with its low health and limited offensive movepool. A priority move from the opponent would remove Girafarig from the battle instantly and complete eliminate all the stat boosts from the previous few turns! But Baton Pass ensures that the boosts remain and get passed on to a healthier sweeper, in this case, Flygon! Plus, Flygon most likely has a larger variety of moves, for a larger variety of Pokémon types.”

“Your ‘battle mode’ is emerging again, Victor!” Chris laughed. “But I totally agree! The rental Pokémon were chosen randomly by the participants before every match. The blonde was lucky to have landed such a strong Pokémon in Flygon! I bet it’s going to be his ace in the Tournament!” 

Yuuri did not even wait for Flygon’s incoming attack. He immediately recalled Ambipom and called upon his second Pokémon, a Skarmory. The silver Armor Bird Pokémon glided majestically in the sky, its stainless steel body gleaming in the rays of the sun. 

“Flygon! Earth Power!” shouted Yuri, a little too late. Skarmory was completely unaffected by everything Flygon was doing to the ground. 

“Yes, smart move, Yuuri!” Victor gushed, unable to keep his bubbling emotions under control any longer. 

“Man, you’re really smitten with him, huh?” said Chris. “And here I am, believing that love at first sight doesn’t exist anymore!”

“You’re too jaded, Chris!” 

“It comes with experience, my friend!” 

“You’re younger than me – wait… what are you implying?”

“Oh hey, Flygon’s about to attack!”

The Mystic Pokémon launched a Flamethrower, the blistering red flames scorching Skarmory’s metallic feathers. But even after the super-effective move, Skarmory was still standing strong, with a little over half health left. “It must have invested most of its training into its Defense and Special Defense,” observed Victor. “Most likely its HP too. It’s built like a tank and can’t be taken down that easily.”

“Roost!” commanded Yuuri. Skarmory landed onto the ravaged battlefield in a swoop of feathers, instantly recovering its energy. It healed back to full again.

“Our chance! Earth Power!” yelled the other Yuri.

“A smart move from the other Yuri!” remarked Victor. With Roost, Skarmory lost its Flying-type, meaning that it was no longer immune to Ground-type moves. Earth Power would deal twice the damage to a pure Steel-type, plus some more additional damage due to Flygon receiving a same-type attack bonus. It would take down a larger portion of Skarmory’s health than Flamethrower.

“Huh, I can’t believe you’re praising the ‘enemy’,” said Chris teasingly.

“Oh, come on! Don’t look at me like that! You know I can be objective when I need to!” Victor retorted. Deep down, he knew exactly which of the two Yuris he hoped to win. But both of them had really impressed him so far. It was only the Round of Sixteen, but Victor was on the edge of his seat. It felt as exhilarating as perhaps, a Grand Finals match.

Again, Yuuri did not intend for Skarmory to take the Earth Power in the face. He switched the Armor Bird Pokémon out for his third and final Pokémon, a West Sea Gastrodon. The pink-and-brown Sea Slug Pokémon absorbed the neutral damage with its soft, pliable body, its health only chipped by a quarter.

Victor could not help but applaud that move, just like how he had been floored by Yuuri Katsuki’s every decision up till now. Maybe his standards for a good strategy had been lowered after all those dreary battles he had been through; maybe his extreme bias for the bespectacled male had really clouded his judgement and affected his ability to reason properly, despite what he claimed, but so far, Yuuri had been absolutely killing it. Victor’s mind started to wander; he started to conjure up an imaginary meeting between the two of them, first a curtsey and an exchange of pleasantries, followed by a magnificent battle of the century. And then, at the climax, perhaps he could ask him… 

“Flygon! Giga Drain!” shouted the blonde Yuri triumphantly.

Victor snapped back to reality. _This is bad!_ The Water-and-Ground-type Gastrodon was extremely weak to Grass-type moves – four times as weak, in fact! The damage dealt by one of the strongest Grass-type moves would be insane. Yuuri’s unflappable facade started to crack, with pure horror reflected in his wavering eyes, as Flygon glowed bright green and absorbed away Gastrodon’s health.

“He totally didn’t expect the Giga Drain!” exclaimed Victor. “I didn’t, too! That’s not a move people usually teach to Flygon!”

“It must be one of those full-coverage builds, like you predicted,” said Chris. “Flygon is a pretty versatile Pokémon.”

Victor noticed that he was finally able to read Yuuri’s expression but… not like this! Seeing the cute boy get so worked up was just absolutely heart wrenching. He wanted to run over to the battlefield and hug him and comfort him, and tell him that everything would be fine, that he could easily turn his situation around. That he was right here beside him in spirit, that he had been rooting for him silently all this while! 

Victor’s hands flew to his mouth as he realized what he was thinking.

Chris was right. He _was_ smitten. Absolutely and irrevocably smitten. 

Fortunately, Gastrodon was still hanging on with a sliver of health left in it. That was enough for Yuuri to recover from the shock. He steeled his gaze once more. “Gastrodon! Ice Beam!”

_Yes!_ Victor pumped his fists into the air, waves of relief coursing through his body. A four-times super effective move back at Flygon! Now Flygon was at pretty low health as well!

But this made things even more interesting. “With Gastrodon low, Flygon could easily move first and finish Gastrodon with Giga Drain next turn,” said Victor. “The obvious move for the cute Yuuri is to switch out Gastrodon to Skarmory, who can take the Giga Drain no problem.”

“I think the blonde kid knows that as well,” said Chris. “He seems pretty perceptive. So I don’t think he’ll go for Giga Drain. He might use Flamethrower. But that won’t take down Skarmory either, from what we saw just now. If I’m guessing correctly, he’ll switch into someone who can better counter Skarmory.”

“And forego all the stat boosts?” asked Victor. “If I were him, I’ll use Giga Drain, to regain some health whichever way, even if it’s just a little. He should use the turn to scout what his opponent would do next, and then follow up with a counter strategy. Don’t forget, the cute Yuuri might choose _not_ to switch out Gastrodon in the end, if he thinks that the other Yuri will predict the Skarmory and not use Giga Drain. And Gastrodon can easily survive a not-very-effective Flamethrower and kill Flygon in return with Ice Beam. Everything depends on whose predictions are one step ahead!”

“We shall see what they both choose, then!” said Chris. 

“Right!” agreed Victor. “And that’s one of the best parts about battling, isn’t it? The mind games! Layers upon layers of mind games! Predicting your opponent’s moves and hoping that they won’t read your own!” 

Both of them watched the events that followed with bated breath. “Switch out, Flygon! Come back!” said Yuri, tossing his third Poké Ball. “Go! Torkoal!”

“Gastrodon, Surf!”

Yuuri did not switch out! He was one step ahead!

The Sea Slug Pokémon expelled a huge wave from its mouth that engulfed the entire battlefield, drowning Torkoal along with it. It was super-effective! “He was right!” gushed Victor, with stars in his eyes. “He was right that his opponent would predict the Skarmory! And any Skarmory counter would most likely be a Fire-type, or someone who did not resist Water! Even if Flygon stayed in the battle and used Flamethrower, at such low health, it would go down with a powerful neutral move like Surf! There’s no need for him to use Ice Beam, because in the event that the opponent switches to Fire, Ice would get resisted! It was the best course of action for him!” The discrepancies in battle experience between the two participants just became even clearer after that turn. Just how strong was Yuuri Katsuki? 

Torkoal was still surviving, being quite the tanky Pokémon itself. But Victor knew Torkoal would not survive the next Surf Gastrodon threw at it. Just then, Torkoal’s held item gave off a faint shimmer as it activated – the Quick Claw! It had a chance of letting the slow Pokémon move first.

“Sunny Day!” Torkoal’s shell started to glow red. The clouds parted, the moisture in the air evaporated, and the sun was exposed in its entirety, blazing bright and strong. Gastrodon’s once formidable Surf fizzled once it hit Torkoal’s body. With the damage reduced, Torkoal managed to live to see another turn.

“Gastrodon! Earth Power!” said Yuuri.

“Torkoal, switch out!” said Yuri immediately. “Go Flygon!” The Mystic Pokémon took no damage from Gastrodon’s attack, with its Levitate Ability.

_Yuuri played it safe this time round,_ observed Victor. Surf, Ice Beam, and Gastrodon’s final move, which was most likely a neutral move with no same-type attack bonus, would not take out Torkoal, although Ice Beam would kill Flygon instantly if it switched in. Then Torkoal would defeat Gastrodon handily with perhaps a single-turn Solar Beam, a common Sunny Day combo. But if Yuuri went for Earth Power, it would guarantee a kill, and that Gastrodon took no damage from the fainted Torkoal. It was the best option for him – the only option that assured Gastrodon’s survival, whether his opponent decided to switch or not. And knowing this, his opponent did the right thing by switching to Flygon. Of course, in another universe, Yuuri might predict that and decide to risk it with Ice Beam. And Yuri might predict that Yuuri would predict his switch, and hence attack with Torkoal… and so on, and so forth.

_And that’s the thing – we humans aren’t mind readers,_ mused Victor _. Relying on what we think will be the opponent’s behavior only gets us so far. Sometimes, it’s nice to just clamp down on the overthinking, and just not play the mind games. Sometimes, it’s best to rely on our instincts, and pray fervently that they are right._  

“Giga Drain!” commanded Yuri. Flygon’s next attack finished off the last of Gastrodon and restored some health back to it. Yuuri was down to two Pokémon. Yuri still had three.

_You can do it_ , Victor chanted silently. He would shout it out loud… but there was the issue of Chris berating him for tarnishing the Elite Four image again. _But who cares about Chris! What if Yuuri gets distracted, or worse, notices me in the audience? How is my poor heart going to take it?_

“Go! Ambipom!” said Yuuri, calling upon his very first Pokémon, who had not seen action in a while. “Ice Punch!” 

“Flygon, use Draco –” 

Flygon did not even have time to react to Yuri’s commands. Ambipom’s Ice Punch ended it with a single super-effective blow. The mighty Dragon-and-Ground-type Pokémon had been knocked out at last.

Victor could not believe it. This time round, instead of saving Gastrodon, Yuuri purposefully let it faint, so that he could bring Ambipom into the battle without wasting a turn and letting it take damage. And because Flygon’s stat increases had been eliminated after the switch, Ambipom would outspeed it with its superior base Speed and strike Flygon first! The blonde Yuri looked absolutely furious, his eyes starring daggers at his opponent. It looked like he did not see the Ice Punch coming. Victor knew that he knew – that switching out Flygon earlier on had been a fatal mistake.

The blonde sent out his struggling Girafarig, who had already been weakened by Ambipom at the beginning of the match. It went down instantly with a Double Hit. _He’s on tilt_ , thought Victor. _There’s nothing Girafarig can do anymore._ There was only Torkoal left. And the Quick Claw was shimmering again.

“Heat Wave!” yelled Yuri, his voice cracking with desperation. Torkoal took a deep breath in and exhaled a huge puff of steam onto Ambipom, its damage fueled by the hot sun. Ambipom collapsed on the floor, unable to endure the heat – plus the strain exerted by the Life Orb. Now Yuuri was down to his last Pokémon as well – Skarmory. 

“Fire versus Steel!” said Chris. “We know how this will end!” 

“No, not necessarily,” said Victor. “I believe in Yuuri! Skarmory is tanky! And this Torkoal’s offensive stats aren’t anything to boast about either! I think Skarmory can survive a few rounds of flames! And look! The sunlight’s fading!” 

Indeed, the effects of Sunny Day had ended; the clouds returned to the sky, and the sun’s rays were not as harsh anymore. It was as if the heavens were on Yuuri’s side as well. Just in time for the final face-off between the two of them.

“Skarmory! Toxic!” shouted Yuuri. The Armor Bird Pokémon responded by sprayed a thick black stream of liquid directly onto Torkoal. Torkoal was now Badly Poisoned! 

“Checkmate,” whispered Victor. 

The Coal Pokémon countered with another burst of Heat Wave, taking Skarmory down to around half. But Skarmory was holding Leftovers, which healed a little bit of health after every turn. On the other hand the effect of the deadly Poison was starting to rear its ugly head – Torkoal’s health was starting to deteriorate.

The battled petered out. Thanks to Leftovers and its moveset of Fly, Double Team and Roost, Skarmory could heal back whatever Torkoal threw at it, or simply avoid the incoming attacks. It did not deal much damage to Torkoal in return, with Fly barely scratching Torkoal’s thick shell, but Toxic was more than sufficient to take Torkoal down – and it was already at half health to begin with. Every turn, the Toxic damage it took increased from the previous turn. Eventually, it was too much, and Torkoal succumbed to the Poison. Yuuri Katsuki won.

There was a smattering of applause from the audience. Victor was the only one standing up from his seat. He could not help it. Sure, it was not the most entertaining or explosive way to end the battle, but Yuuri’s strategy was just impeccable, leaving him in awe the whole time. And if he did all of this with rental Pokémon, who knew what he could do with his real team?

On the battlefield, the green-eyed boy started to cry, despite his best efforts at resistance. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. Yuuri walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hey…” he said, a tinge of uncertainty in his voice. “You fought well! It was close! Umm… I was really overwhelmed at times! Thank you… and sorry for kicking you out of the Tournament like this.”

Yuri smacked his hand away. “I’m going to beat you one day, you hear?” he growled, in between sobs. “I’m going to become the best Trainer ever, and beat you!” 

Yuuri was startled at first, but his face soon relaxed into a smile. “Sure,” he said softly. “I’m looking forward to it.” 

“Do I sense some sort of rivalry forming between the two Yuris?” said Chris. “I do hope they battle again. The blonde, especially, has a lot of potential.”

“Yes, he does!” nodded Victor. “It’ll be fun to watch them both again! And oh, I do hope I’ll be there in the front row with popcorn and candy!” 

“Huh, I didn’t know you like drama so much. Oh, wait! You just want to see your cute Yuuri again, don’t you?”

“Ahaha, nothing escapes you, Chris!” laughed Victor. He felt happier than he had been in a long time. Not only was his crush handsome, but a skilled Trainer as well! And from the interaction just now, he seemed like a caring and kindhearted sort of guy! Could he be more perfect? 

Yuuri Katsuki turned towards the audience as he waved and bowed, and for a brief moment, brown eyes met Victor’s blue, and Victor’s heart practically _imploded_ –

“He’s just looking in our general direction,” said Chris, giving him a playful nudge. “Get real. And even if he singled you out, he’ll probably cringe at your silly mask.” 

Victor’s jaw dropped. How could he forget? Which meant that there was no conceivable way Yuuri caught a glimpse of his handsome face and fell in love with him at first sight, just like how he fell… He immediately pulled off the damned mask from his head, messing his hair up in the process, but he did not care. It was all in vain though, for Yuuri was gone, and preparations were starting for the next match.

“Do you want to stay on and watch the next round?” asked Chris. Or do you want to explore the rest of the festival? I heard there’s a Casteliacone machine somewhere.”

“I think… I’m going for more of the Sparkling Roserade Wine,” said Victor, his shoulders slumped in dismay. “But ice cream sounds good, too.”

And so the two of them exited the stadium, out onto the streets of Florentina Town. A single pink petal floated down from the sky, spiraling in circles in the crisp spring air before landing softly on the ground. Victor picked it up and smiled to himself, feeling more hopeful than ever for the future. The future of Pokémon Trainers, and his future days to come.


	10. An Elite Four And The Champion (Part I)

If Chrysler City was a total snoozefest (at least, to Yuri Plisetsky)… Dortmund City was the exact opposite.

He was right smack in the middle of the city, checking out the locality map in front of the Pokémon Center. The road to the left led to the Pokéathlon Dome; perhaps he would be lucky enough to catch a Hurdle Dash competition going on, for he used to love watching that on television as a kid. Further down the street lay Dortmund’s famous casino, and he could totally go in there and make a killing – or he could lose all his money at one go, which was more likely the case, and would be disastrous at this point of his journey.

A couple of blocks to his right stood the luxurious Plaza Hotel Dortmund, which he would never be able to afford in a million years, unless he became Champion, of course. There was also a water theme park somewhere down that stretch, which seemed really interesting – apparently they had a roller coaster slide that led straight into a Sharpedo-infested tank… or something like that. And the Pokéstar Studios, where the bulk of Yuri’s favorite action movies were made, were located just northeast of the theme park. It was just too huge of a city, with too many new and exciting things to try out, and Yuri did not know where to start.

 _Well, priorities first. Time to head to the Gym._ Two Badges in three days sounded like a pretty sweet plan. He had been utterly obliterating his opponents lately – first Mila, then the Trainers on Route 4, Crystalline Cave, and Route 5 on the journey from Chrysler to Dortmund. Another Gym battle victory would be icing on the cake. He could get this victory train up and running, full speed ahead. 

Except…

“What the hell? It's closed???”

His trip to the Gym ended up in vain. The large metal front doors of the Dortmund Gym were bolted and locked. Yuri kicked them in a fit of frustration, hurting his foot in the process, but of course they did not budge. He did not know what he was expecting when he tried that.

“H-hi! Are you looking for the Gym Leader? He’s out of town!” 

The meek voice came an older boy, with feathery caramel hair and freckles on his cheeks. He was wearing a sports jacket and sweatpants. 

“I just got the notice today too,” the boy sighed. “That traitor Kenjiro! I can’t believe he bailed on me!”

“You’re… here to challenge him?” 

“Far from it! I’m a Gym Leader too! Of Hermosa Town! The name’s Guang-Hong, by the way. Kenjiro and I are supposed to attend an event together.”

“Oh. Sucks to be you then.”

“Yeah… it’s a disaster! We can’t do without him! It’s crucial that there’re four…” The boy trailed off mid-sentence, as he scanned Yuri up and down. “Wait a minute… you’re a Trainer, right? Can you do me a favor?” 

“Huh?”

“Pretty please? It’s urgent!” the boy pleaded, plonking his hands on Yuri’s shoulders. His brown eyes bore into Yuri’s green. “Please battle in Kenjiro’s place! In the Battle Royal exhibition match!”

…

There was no way Yuri could refuse a battle.

According to Guang-Hong, the Battle Royal originated from the Alola Region, and after seeing how massively popular it was with Trainers and battle enthusiasts alike, some wealthy businessman decided to import the concept into the Ibara Region. And, Yuri realized, that was probably how the Pokéathlon Dome and the Pokéstar Studios, both which had their roots in other regions, came about as well. In Ibara, Dortmund City was where all the fun amassed. It was a city chock-full of non-stop thrills and entertainment! 

Yuri himself had tried out abridged versions of Battle Royals during his time as a student in Trainers’ School – with rental Pokémon of course – and the rules were fairly simple. Like any other Single Battle, each participant could only send out one Pokémon at a time. However, instead of two Trainers battling for victory over the other, Battle Royals involved a clash between four Trainers. The ally Pokémon could target any of its opponents during its turn, or it could use moves that hit all three at the same time. Unlike Double Battles, there were no team-ups; it was every Trainer for himself. The goal was to faint as many of the opponents’ Pokémon as possible, while preventing ally Pokémon from being knocked out. Yuri was pretty confident he could perform well. After all, back in his school days, he never lost a single Battle Royal match. 

Still, this was the actual thing. And one of his opponents was a Gym Leader. Well…Yuri beat Mila. Going by that logic, he should be able to beat Guang-Hong as well. He seemed way less threatening than Mila, in any case.

Today happened to be the grand opening of Dortmund’s brand new Battle Royal Dome, and the area outside the Dome was like a mini carnival. There were carts in front of the entrance selling lemonade, popcorn, and all sorts of delicious snacks for the audience to munch on while feasting their eyes on the battles. Confetti and soap bubbles filled the air, and even the lampposts nearby were decorated with colorful banners and streamers. And the crowd! It was unbelievable! The whole place was packed to the brim. People and Pokémon were trying their hardest to push their way into the Dome, none of them willing to miss out on the region’s first ever Battle Royal match. Those that managed to obtain seats were the lucky ones, but the most ardent of fans were more than happy to stand and squeeze with total strangers at the back, if it meant getting a glimpse at some fiery action. Yuri and Guang-Hong meandered through the crowd with much effort (and grumbling on Yuri’s part), all the way up front to the registration counter.

“I’ve found a replacement!” Guang-Hong exclaimed.

“Brilliant!” said the lady at the counter. “And just in time, too! The exhibition match’s starting in a couple of minutes!” She turned to Yuri. “Which three Pokémon are you entering in the competition?”

“Three?” Yuri gaped at her in shock. “I only have two with me!”

“What? Just two?” Guang-Hong was equally astounded. 

“I just started out a couple of weeks ago!” 

“No way! You look way too old to be a rookie!” 

“Why do you think I was at the Gym in the first place? Tea and cookies?”

“Well, yeah! Kenjiro loves having friends over. In that case…” Guang-Hong dug into his pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball with a black and yellow top half – an Ultra Ball. “Here, you can borrow my Lucario for the time being.” 

Yuri received the Ultra Ball from the Gym Leader and registered his three Pokémon. “The use of items is not allowed in this match,” explained the lady at the counter. “Also, with our special machine, all Pokémon will be set to level 50 and their stats adjusted accordingly. This is to ensure a fair fight between all participants!”

Wow! A level 50 Litten and Wimpod? Excitement bubbled inside Yuri. Super powered versions of his teammates! Together with a new formidable ally in Lucario, there was no way he could lose this!

The lady led the two of them backstage to their starting areas. Yuri’s heart was drumming in his chest. “Good luck!” whispered Guang-Hong. “Have fun, and take it easy, alright?”

Yuri’s lips parted into a smirk. Oh, he was going to have fun, alright. He would have a Wailord of a time trashing his opponents.

The spotlights were on. The crowd was all pumped up. It was time for the exhibition match.

“We’re in the Battle Royal Dome, the arena for Battle Royals!” announced the emcee. “The Dome is packed and filled with excitement! Put your hands together for our grand opening!”

The crowd roared. 

“Now here come the contenders! In the green corner, all the way from Arethusa Town, Pokémon Trainer Yuri!” 

Yuri walked into the glare of bright, multi-colored lights, from an entrance shaped like the fearsome head of a Tyranitar. The audience clapped and cheered.           

 _Aren’t we supposed to smile and wave at this point?_ asked Yuri’s voice of reason.

_Definitely not! We’re here to kick some ass, not make flower crowns and friendship bracelets! We are destruction incarnate! Our bones are titanium… our blood is fire… Let’s show these peons the true meaning of total annihilation!!!_

The result was a passably fierce scowl at… nothing in particular, actually.

“In the yellow corner, Gym Leader of Hermosa Town, Guang-Hong!” Guang-Hong jogged out enthusiastically from an entrance depicting a Haxorus, taking his place on Yuri’s right. He would probably never admit it but… Yuri had to thank the Gym Leader for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He was actually having a blast so far. The atmosphere inside the Dome was electric.

“And now… introducing our special guests!”

Yuri’s ears perked up. Who would be his final two opponents?

“In the red corner, our very own Elite Four Yuuri! And last but definitely not least, in the blue corner, the Champion of the Ibara Region, the living legend, Victor Nikiforov! The Battle Royal starts now!”

\---

 

If Yuri had felt ‘pretty confident’ going into this exhibition match… well, right now…

Elite Four Yuuri had black hair and navy-framed glasses, with a denim collared shirt layered over a black-and-white striped top. He stepped out from the Charizard-shaped entrance, smiling and waving to the audience _like a total scrub_.

And then emerged from the Gyarados-shaped entrance Champion Victor himself, wearing a dark fuchsia trench coat and a megawatt smile on his face. He winked playfully at the audience, flipped his bangs, and took a deep bow with his arms spread open like the wings of a Swanna.

The crowd went wild.

 _What a drama queen,_ thought Yuri, rolling his eyes.

Still, it felt inherently _wrong_ , meeting the Champion for the very first time in this Battle Royal Dome. Not that there was anything bad about the place but… it could have been so much more… epic. It should have gone a little something like this: at the pinnacle of the Pokémon League, on a dark and stormy night, the challenger Yuri, a battle-weathered Trainer wearing a cool Liepard-print cape, with his six undefeated Pokémon companions by his side and eight glistening Gym Badges in their case. And right before him, Champion Victor, sitting all smug and pretty in his golden bejeweled throne, practically inviting Yuri to knock him down a peg or two. It was supposed to be the final boss battle! The fight to end all fights! Not right here, not right now! And definitely not when he only had one measly Badge and two Pokémon to call his own!

But that was not the main issue.

The main issue was that other guy. _Yuuri Katsuki_. It was yet another name Yuri would never forget. And a face he would totally punch if he had the chance! _That guy!_ He was the one who trounced him in that fateful Florentina Festival Open Tournament! He was the one who humiliated him in front of all his teachers and classmates!

He felt a bit better, knowing that the guy who defeated him went on to become one of the top Trainers in the region. At least he did not lose to a total nobody from nowhere, like what he initially thought. 

But the rest of him was still seething with rage. And salt. Buckets and buckets of salt.

“Hey, you!” he yelled across the battlefield. “Remember me? Florentina Town, five years ago?”

Yuuri’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Ah… I-I’m so sorry!” he stammered. “I have no r-recollection of it!”

Yuri’s jaw dropped in abject horror. The day he got eliminated from the Tournament was one of the most important days in his life. But for Elite Four Yuuri Katsuki, it was _Tuesday_???

This guy was driving him absolutely nuts. But whatever. Now was his chance at his much-awaited revenge. And it was going to be sweet as hell.

Except… 

…how in the world was he going to win this thing???

The guy was after all, part of the Elite Four, for god’s sake! And who could forget the Champion of the entire freaking region, standing just a few paces to Yuri’s left? Plus, there was a Gym Leader in the mix, who, now that Yuri thought about it, probably brought his A-team to this match. 

The starting bell rang. 

“Go! Litten!” yelled Yuri.

“Go, Mienshao!” 

“Go, Greninja!”

“Go, Togekiss!” 

Yuri immediately whipped out his Pokédex.

Each opponent Pokémon had a base stat total of over 500. And then there was Litten, a runt of a Fire Cat surrounded by three behemoths, with a base stat total of only 320. Even though all four of them were at the same level, there was nothing ‘fair’ about this matchup! The difference in strength was too insurmountable!

If Yuri had felt ‘pretty confident’ going into this exhibition match…

…right now, ‘royally screwed’ did not even begin to cut it.            

Elite Four Yuuri seized the first move.

“Greninja! Gunk Shot onto Togekiss!”

The dark blue Ninja Pokémon wasted no time at all, rubbing its webbed palms together and generating a huge mass of purple slime and gunk. It lifted the gunk over its head and with all its strength, flung it directly onto Victor’s Togekiss, drenching its sparkly white feathers with nothing but filth! From the corner of his eye, Yuri could have sworn that he saw the Champion’s face twitch a little.

He bit his lip. The attack was both fast and strong. Even at only level 50, an Elite Four’s Pokémon could not be taken lightly! But despite being at the receiving end of a super-effective move with a high base power, Togekiss was still standing, with a quarter of its health left in it – a testament to how bulky it was. And were Yuri’s eyes tricking him… or was Greninja glowing a faint purple the entire time?

“No way!” Yuri breathed. “This Greninja has the Protean Ability! It changes its type to the type of the move it's using!”

“That’s right,” replied Victor, overhearing his words. “Gunk Shot is a Poison-type move. Which means that Greninja is now a Poison-type Pokémon! And because of this, STAB is factored in as well!”

“‘STAB’?”

“It’s an acronym Yuuri and I like to use,” Victor explained cheerfully. “Since ‘same-type attack bonus’ is such a mouthful!”

“My turn!” said Guang-Hong. “Mienshao! Drain Punch onto Litten!”

Mienshao's fists glowed bright viridian with energy as it pummeled the Fire Cat Pokémon with a barrage of swift punches. Each blow released a shower of sparkling green orbs, which the Martial Arts Pokémon readily absorbed into its body. _Those orbs contain Litten’s health_ , Yuri realized _._ But since Mienshao was already at full in the first place, the healing effect of Drain Punch did not come into play.

And on the topic of health, Yuri could not believe that a single neutral attack from Mienshao was actually able to take Litten down to critical. _Its base Attack is way too high,_ he thought _. Which means that its Defenses probably suck. A Fire Fang from Litten will be able to weaken it considerably and –_

“Dazzling Gleam!”

_No! Togekiss was faster!_

Yuri had to shield his eyes from the brilliant prismatic light that emanated from Togekiss’s body in all directions, growing brighter and brighter in intensity and eventually filling the entire battlefield with nothing but pure white radiance. Slowly, as the light dissipated, Yuri opened his eyes and saw…

…Greninja, still standing strong…

…Mienshao, splayed out on the ground, but still alive… 

… and Litten, fainted.

“One point to blue!” announced the emcee. “Minus one point to green!” 

“Aww!” said Victor. “I was hoping to get Mienshao too!” 

“Umm actually… in Battle Royals, area of effect moves are modified to deal reduced damage,” said Yuuri with a giggle.

“Really? I didn’t know that!” said Victor, his turquoise eyes wide with surprise. His lips curled into a smile. “Oh well! A beginner’s mistake! At least I’m able to take out Litten!”

Yuri, on the other hand, was absolutely livid. This was insane! He did not even get to do anything this round!

“Go, Wimpod!” he said, calling upon his second Pokémon.

It was suicide, and Yuri knew it. Like Litten before, there was absolutely nothing poor Wimpod could do in this entire match. It could never muster enough Speed to keep up with Greninja and Mienshao, who were more than capable of killing it in return. His other choice, of course, was Guang-Hong’s Lucario, but with the likes of Mienshao lurking around with a super-effective Drain Punch and maybe even a High Jump Kick, Lucario might not be able to survive the round either. The choice was between sending Wimpod or Lucario to its death… and the obvious answer was Wimpod, with its lower base stats and shallower movepool. Hopefully, Togekiss or Greninja would remove the threat of Mienshao, so that Lucario could safely switch in the next round.

But of course, things did not go the way Yuri expected.

“Togekiss, switch out!” said Victor. “Go, Gardevoir!” A Psychic-and-Fairy-type to counter both the Poison-type Greninja and the Fighting-type Mienshao!

“Greninja, Acrobatics onto Wimpod!” commanded Yuuri.

The aura around Greninja changed from purple to a pale grayish-blue. Using the ropes around the battlefield as a launch pad, the Ninja Pokémon leapt ten feet into the air, spun a somersault and hurled itself straight at Wimpod, striking it with the full impact of the nosedive. The Turn Tail Pokémon fainted instantly. 

Yuri could not believe it. _That bastard knew!_ _He knew Victor would recall Togekiss! That was why he didn’t go for the kill!_

_Or rather… he didn’t know! He didn’t know if Victor would make the switch or not! Which was why attacking Togekiss wasn’t the best option for him. Rather than risking his chances with Victor… he decided to go for the alternative with the highest probability of happening. The most likely scenario for the round… the one thing that’s more or less confirmed… is the fact that Wimpod is staying in the battlefield. He thinks there’s no way I’ll switch Wimpod out when I just sent it in! And he’s right! Wimpod’s a certain target. A too easy target! That was why he chose to knock out Wimpod instead!_

Acrobatics changed Greninja to a Flying-type. Since Greninja was not holding an item, the damage inflicted to Wimpod was amplified. Combined with STAB and the fact that Bug was weak to Flying, it was a surefire kill. Plus, getting rid of the Poison-type would also help eliminate Greninja’s weakness to Psychic-type moves, which Gardevoir could easily exploit. That was the versatility of Protean – the best of both worlds in offense and defense! 

“One point to red! Minus one point to green!”

“Mienshao! U-turn onto Greninja!” shouted Guang-Hong. In a sudden burst of speed, Mienshao tore towards the Ninja Pokémon and lashed at it with its long, slender tail. Then, before Greninja could react, it swiveled around and returned to Guang-Hong’s open Ultra Ball in a beam of light.

“Switch out, Mienshao!” said Guang-Hong. “Come back and regenerate some health! Go, Breloom!”

The Gym Leader’s next fighter was a green and brown bipedal Pokémon, with a mushroom-like cap and a long tail. It bounced restlessly on the spot, eager to throw out some punches.

Yuri called upon his last hope – Lucario. Fortunately for him, the speedy Mienshao was now out of the picture, replaced by the much slower Breloom. And as for the even speedier Greninja… there was no way it would attack Lucario when there was a Pokémon four times as weak to Flying-types right next to it (seriously, what the hell was Guang-Hong thinking?). Which meant… Yuri could finally _do something_ this time round!

What moves did Lucario have? Swords Dance. Close Combat. Iron Tail. Stone Edge. 

He made his decision.

“Greninja, use–” 

“Lucario! Use –” 

“Breloom, Mach Punch onto Lucario!” interrupted Guang-Hong. 

Priority! In all his eagerness, Yuri completely forgot about the most basic way to outspeed a faster opponent! So that was Guang-Hong’s plan with Breloom all along! Taking out Lucario with one swift and decisive hit! And when Yuri had no more Pokémon left… the Battle Royal would be over. The Gym Leader knew from the start that he could not possibly hold up against Yuuri or Victor. So instead of trying to win the entire thing, he was setting his sights on the much more realistic third place!

_And what does that leave me with? Last place???_

Breloom’s hands glowed red with energy as it sprinted towards Lucario, jabbing it repeatedly square in the stomach. A mere three punches sent Lucario flying across the battlefield and colliding into the ropes, but Breloom was not satisfied. It continued its onslaught, punching and punching and punching until Lucario lay flat on the ground, unable to move anymore.

“You can do it, Lucario! Don’t give up!” shouted Yuri. “Get up and fight!” 

A paw twitched ever so slightly. Then an ear… then both ears… then the tail… and with bruised and trembling arms, the Aura Pokémon heaved itself up to its feet and re-entered its battle stance, glaring doggedly at its opponents. 

The crowd exploded into cheers. 

“Awesome!” Yuri heaved a huge sigh of relief. Lucario probably had less than ten hit points left. But it could still fight! He was still in the battle! It was not over yet for him! 

“Damn! It was Technican-boosted, too!” pouted Guang-Hong. “I thought that this shot would faint Lucario for sure!”

“Maybe you trained your Lucario a little too well,” said Yuri, a slight smirk creeping onto his face. All he needed right now was for Lucario to not take any more damage. He just needed one chance! One chance to attack! 

Who was Greninja going to go for? 

“Acrobatics onto Breloom!” ordered Yuuri. 

It was the obvious choice. Greninja sprung into the air once more and right back down onto Breloom. Breloom was out. 

“One point to red! Minus one point to yellow!” 

“Finally! It’s our turn!” yelled Yuri. All the frustration, all the exasperation he felt at being a sitting Ducklett throughout this entire exhibition match was channeled into this one command. His first attack! “Lucario, Stone Edge onto Greninja!” 

Lucario let out a howl as its paws glowed red, materializing rocks and stones continuously in a ring around it and launching them straight at Greninja. Immediately, Greninja hopped onto the ropes and into the air, but as agile as it was, it could not completely dodge the flurry of sharp rocks that seemed to strike their target no matter which direction in went.

“Wow, what a move!” sang Victor. “But it isn’t enough to take out Yuuri’s Greninja! Almost, but not quite! Anyway, Gardevoir, Focus Blast onto Lucario!”

Yuri barely had enough time to register his words. The next thing he knew, Gardevoir was conjuring up a huge sphere of crackling energy and hurling it right at his face…

… 

…

“One point to blue! Minus one point to green! The battle is over!”

The scores were in. Yuri ended up with minus three points, Guang-Hong ended up with minus one, and both Yuuri and Victor ended up with two points apiece. Because Gardevoir had more health remaining than Greninja after that final round, Victor won the exhibition match.

So… in the end… Yuri got his revenge after all. Well, sort of. Instead of going for the Iron Tail onto Gardevoir, which was more likely to kill than not, he went for the Stone Edge onto Greninja instead. Even though the move had low accuracy (it was a wonder how Lucario managed to hit all those rocks), did not do STAB damage, and had an extremely low chance of knocking out Greninja in one hit. Plus, if he managed to defeat Gardevoir, he would not have been at the mercy of that devastating Focus Blast. Still, with Lucario at critical health, he was probably going to lose in the next round anyway, so… 

Was it worth it, though? It was a rather petty move, abandoning the tactics and the strategic thinking he placed so much emphasis on as a Trainer and battler, just to deny Yuuri Katsuki the overall victory. But at that point in time… when fourth place was inevitable… at least he should go out with a bang, with a giant ‘screw you’ to the guy whom he loathed so much for beating him and taking him so lightly, no? 

(Okay, it was an extremely petty move.) 

And Victor… the Champion… instead of using STAB Fairy or Psychic-type moves onto Breloom, he had chosen to go for Lucario instead. That man had known full well that Greninja would attack Breloom and defeat it before his Gardevoir even got a chance to move, and that Yuuri would change his Pokémon’s type with Protean to prevent the risk of a super-effective hit from Gardevoir. So there was really no point trying to knock Greninja out in the first place. The best option left on the field was Lucario – and he had just the answer to it. Sure, the decision might be pretty obvious to anyone watching the match, but this had been from someone who apparently had never participated in a Battle Royal before. The level of mind games involved… Definitely, the Champion should not be underestimated either!

The loss from five years ago was still stinging. But perhaps, just perhaps… Yuri was starting to somewhat accept it. The Battle Royal exhibition match today had really opened his eyes. He needed to up his level of strategy if he wanted to beat Yuuri – and Victor – one day. He needed to get stronger with experience. 

Yuri trudged out of the Battle Royal Dome, feeling mentally and physically worn out. Guang-Hong followed closely behind. “Thanks for helping out today,” he said. “I hope the loss doesn’t bum you out too much.” 

“No problem,” said Yuri. “I… had fun, I guess.”

“I’m glad to hear that!” smiled Guang-Hong. “Well then, see you soon! Do drop by my Gym for a battle when you reach Hermosa Town, okay? I’ll be awaiting you and your Pokémon!” With that, the caramel-haired boy jogged off into the distance.

Regenerator Mienshao, Technican Breloom, and of course, the Lucario who battled by his side for that brief moment… The next time they met, Yuri would be ready for them. 

Where should he go next? After what had happened just now, all Yuri wanted was a nice, cold shower and a long nap. He should probably find a Trainer’s hostel in the vicinity to check into… 

And then he saw _him_.

Yuuri Katsuki.


	11. An Elite Four And The Champion (Part II)

He was leaning against a lamppost, smiling down fondly at a passing Lillipup, who wagged its short tuft of a tail happily as it licked his shoes. There was a distant call from the Lillipup’s Trainer, and the Puppy Pokémon barked excitedly at the sound of her voice, before scampering after her on its stubby paws.

Elite Four Yuuri Katsuki did not notice the blonde boy with steely green eyes and a Liepard-print jacket approach him, sporting an expression that could kill an entire city. Not until the boy was only a mere two inches in front of him.

His large charcoal brown eyes blinked wide open with shock. “You’re –”

“Yuri Plisetsky.”

“H-hi, Yuri!” stammered Yuuri. “Ah… we share the same name! W-what a coincidence, huh! Umm… It was nice battling you just now!”

“Cut the crap! Are you sure you don’t remember me from before?”

“I…”

“We were in the Florentina Tournament five years ago! The Round of Sixteen! Don’t you remember?” Desperation was seeping into Yuri’s voice. There were so many things he wanted to say. He wanted so damn much to unleash upon that guy all his bitterness and resentment over his embarrassing defeat, but that one burning question reigned above all. Sure, he had been just one not-quite Trainer among the numerous formidable challengers that an Elite Four member would have faced throughout the years but… the nerve of that guy to forget! How could he forget? How dared he, when he told him specifically that he had been ‘looking forward’ to their next meeting? How dared he go back on his words? 

“Well…”

“You had a Skarmory! I had a Torkoal! You beat me! Your Skarmory killed my Torkoal with Toxic!”

“Umm…”

Yuri was on the brink of exploding. “We have the same name, for crying out loud!!! How can you not remember someone with the same name as you???”

“Ahh…”

The boy opened his mouth to scream something again but he was interjected by a shrill voice from somewhere…

“YUUUUUUUUUUUUUURI!!!!!!” 

“ _WHAT???_ ” shrieked Yuri, his irritation levels off the charts. Which stupid freaking asshole idiot had the _audacity_ to interrupt him at this important juncture –

A young man with wispy silver hair and a dark fuchsia trench coat was skipping merrily to where the duo was, with an ice cream cone in each hand and a wide heart-shaped grin on his face. 

“Yuuri! I bought Casteliacones! They were selling it outside the Dome!” sang Victor Nikiforov.

And at once, Yuri felt silly. Fuming mad, of course, but silly nonetheless. That had not been addressed to him. 

“Are these for me?” asked Yuuri, his eyes sparkling with joy.

“Yup!” said Victor, beaming at him. “Choose one! Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Which one do you want, Victor?” 

“I’ll have the one you’re not having!”

“Ahh… but that won’t be fair to you!” 

“It’s fine! I’m okay with both flavors!” 

“Well… in that case, chocolate!”

“Great! Then vanilla it is for me –” 

Yuri coughed pointedly. 

The Champion swivelled his head to face the boy, finally aware of his presence. “Oh, hey! You’re Yuri, right? Thanks for the Battle Royal just now!” 

“Thanks for the Focus Blast to my face,” muttered Yuri. He knew he was being awfully rude to the most respected Trainer in the region but he did not care. _That’s what you get for being such an insensitive prick, ice cream man!_

(Of course, Yuri knew that he was not the most tactful of Trainers around, but at least he had the common sense not to barge into someone’s conversation like that. Well, that was what he thought, anyway.)

But to his surprise, Victor just laughed it off. “Oops! Sorry about that! Why don’t you have my Casteliacone, then? As an apology of sorts! Yuuri… Katsuki and I can share one, right?”

“R-right!” squeaked Yuuri, nodding furiously. “Take it as my apology, too!”

Yuri took the cone (it looked too delicious to resist) and lapped up the soft, swirly white cream peppered with colorful sprinkles. It tasted chilly and refreshing. His anger subsided a bit.

“You two were talking about something, weren’t you?” asked Victor, with a glint in his eye. “Care to share?”

“Your friend here has a severe case of amnesia,” Yuri said tersely. “Better get him checked.”

“I did!” said Victor. “It’s not going away anytime soon.”

“Wait. WHAT?”

“It’s true!” sighed Yuuri. “I lost all my memories while traveling in the Sinnoh Region! It was five years ago too… probably right after the Tournament you were talking about! I was trying to tell you all this time, but you wouldn’t give me a chance!”

Yuri gaped at him in horror. “No way!”

“Fortunately, Victor was in Sinnoh at that time as well,” continued Yuuri. “I was so lucky to have met him. He helped me so much. But even now… I couldn’t remember anything from before. Whatever battle we had…”

“Umm… never mind,” said Yuri immediately. He tried to imagine what it was like waking up from his coma, with no memories of his family, his friends, his name, or where he came from. To find himself without any knowledge of who he was and the events that shaped him… it was too horrible for words. Now he felt even sillier, for being such a jerk to someone who had been through something so traumatic. “It should be me… saying s-sorry…”

“Really, it’s okay!” replied Yuuri, giving him a gentle pat on his shoulder. “It’s so long ago already.”

“Indeed!” said Victor, smiling softly at the Elite Four member. “How time flies, huh? So Yuri – I mean Plisetsky, not Katsuki – how many Badges do you have?”

“One,” Yuri blurted out. He instantly regretted it.

“No way!” Victor’s hands flew to his mouth in astonishment. “Just one Badge? It makes sense, with the Litten and all… But how?”

“I just started out a couple of weeks ago, okay?” 

“But why?” gasped Victor, horrified. “I thought you…”

“I… had an accident,” said Yuri, averting his gaze. That was one Lopunny hole he _definitely_ did not want to go down right now.

“An accident…!”

“Hey… Victor, let’s get back to that topic some other time, okay?” interjected Yuuri, waving his hands fervently in front of the Champion’s face. And at once, Yuri felt a tinge of appreciation for the Elite Four member. Yuuri knew. Yuuri knew how uncomfortable he was feeling right now, discussing an incident that still pained him, even till this day. After all, that guy had been through something similar – if not, worse – only on the other side of the world. 

“But _Yuuuuuuri_ …” whined Victor. 

“But Victor,” said Yuuri, placing a placating finger in front of Victor’s lips. “We haven’t decided where to go for dinner!”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!” exclaimed the Champion, clapping his hands together. “Hmm… in that case… how about _The Old Street Kitchen_? They serve the best Pasta Primarina! And then we can get ourselves a room at the Plaza for the night! I’m dying to visit their grand spa again, and you know how much Togekiss needs it after that nasty Gunk Shot! Seriously Yuuri, it adores you so much! How could you do this to it?”

“You know that’s a necessary move on my part!” Yuuri retorted.

“Yeah, I know, I know! Just kidding!” chuckled Victor. He turned to Yuri. “Want to join us? Our treat!”

Yuri’s eyes popped open. Dinner? At one of the swankiest restaurants in the city? With an Elite Four and the Champion? It was an offer no one in the right mind could resist!

Yet… he had his pride as a Trainer! It was, after all, an Elite Four, _and_ the freaking Champion! His future enemies! His current enemies! His final enemies! He was supposed to kick their asses, not sit down and eat a nice, cheerful meal with them!

But he wanted to go, so, so much!

But he couldn’t, he just couldn’t!

All this while, Victor was staring at Yuri with an amused grin on his face. “I’ll take your silence as a yes, then!” he burst out suddenly, pulling at the sleeve of the blonde boy’s Liepard-print jacket as he marched towards the direction of the restaurant, with a giggling Yuuri by his side.

\---

 

The first dish to arrive at their table was a Pasta Primarina, a chef’s recommendation and apparently, a Champion’s recommendation as well, for Victor had been rambling on and on about it from the moment they set foot into the restaurant. “They do al dente pasta so well here, just the way I like it – not overcooked, but it still has bite! The sauce is ridiculously good; it’s thick, and creamy, and flavorful, just utterly divine! They use just the right amount of cheese that doesn’t overwhelm you, you know? Plus, they have all my favorite vegetables mixed in it, like carrots, and mushrooms, and broccoli – oh wait, mushrooms aren’t vegetables, are they? But I really do love mushrooms though, they really, really make this dish, I feel, even though some might argue that the prime ingredient is the…”

“Just get on with it already, old man!”

“Oh, come on! I’m not _that_ old… right?” 

“Says the one with gray hair.” 

“Not you too, Yuuri! You know it’s genetic!” 

The second dish was a Scizor Salad for Yuuri, with freshly cut romaine lettuce tossed with Miltank cheese, ripe Tamato Berries, and crunchy croutons. Topping it all off was a helpful serving of homemade dressing – a zingy Nomel Berry and Honey mix that gave the salad that little extra kick.

Yuri ordered for himself a Take Down Steak, because it looked so sumptuous in the menu – and as it turned out, even more so in real life. It came sizzling in a cast iron plate, with thick brown sauce dribbled all over it. There was also a side dish of a baked potato sprinkled with bacon and a huge dollop of salad cream, as well as assorted vegetables glazed in butter and vinegar. 

Victor also wanted to order some champagne for everyone, but Yuuri firmly insisted on something non-alcoholic because their guest, Yuri, was underage. And Victor was complaining something about how Yuuri never got drunk anymore and what an absolute travesty that was, which Yuri totally could not understand at all, because how the hell was being drunk a _good_ thing, with all the foolishness and the downright embarrassing behavior that came along with it?

In the end, Victor gave in and got a huge jug of Oran Juice for the table. For a while, there was no sound coming from the three of them except the clink of cutlery on plates, and of course, the slurping of food. The steak tasted heavenly in Yuri’s mouth, tender and full of flavor. He knew he should savor every last bite to the fullest, yet he could not help but gobble everything down as fast as he could, for he was famished, and it was just too good to stop eating. 

Victor was the first to put down his fork. 

“So, Yuri, I was thinking –”

“Huh?” answered both Yuris at the same time.

“Precisely!” exclaimed Victor. “It’s literally impossible for the two of you to be in the same room together without us getting mixed up on which Yuri I’m referring to! So from now on, we’ll just have to use nicknames!” 

“Nicknames?” scoffed Yuri. “Really? What do you suggest, huh, something lame like ‘Yurio’?”

…

_I played right into that one, didn’t I?_

“Well, there you have it!” sang Victor. “From this day forward, you shall henceforth be known as ‘Yurio’!” He raised his glass of juice. “Cheers! A toast to Yurio!”

“WHAT?” shrieked Yuri. “I totally didn’t agree to that! Why am _I_ ‘Yurio’ and not _him_?”

“Good point!” nodded Victor. “That’s really unfair of me! In that case, we have no choice but to decide with a Pokémon battle!”

“WHAT???” 

“I’m sorry, Yurio!” said Yuuri quickly. “Sometimes, Victor can be a little… umm… overenthusiastic!”

Yuri opened his mouth but no words came out. Nothing could describe the sheer incredulity he was experiencing right now.

“Anyway,” said Victor, “now that that’s out of the way, how are you liking the food here, Yurio?” 

“It’s great,” said Yuri, wolfing down the last of his Take Down Steak. “It’s the only saving grace of this evening, really. I wonder why.”

“Wow, getting used to your new nickname already, huh?” giggled Victor. Yuuri had to bury his face into his napkin.

The look Yuri threw them could destroy an entire planet.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying the meal, though!” continued Victor, completely oblivious to the murderous aura of doom that was radiating from the boy. “It’s one of my favorite restaurants ever! Dessert, anyone?”

“I’m pretty full, actually,” said Yuuri. “Maybe I can share a Vanillite Parfait with you, Victor?” 

“Sure thing! Let’s get one Vanillite Parfait… Yurio, do you want dessert?” 

“I want a Crustle Tiramisu – HEY, stop calling me that, damn it!” 

The Elite Four and the Champion stared at the boy, at each other, and then cracked up.

_This is… absolutely bonkers. Someone, please kill me right now._

As if on cue, the lights went out.

“W-what’s going on?” Yuri wondered aloud. Of course, he knew he was not actually _dead_ , but… 

All around them, murmurs from confused customers filled the air.

“It’s a blackout!” announced one of the waitresses. “Everyone, remain calm! Pansage, Flash!” 

And at once, the restaurant was lit up again.

“Ah, don’t you wish they brought out the candles instead?” mused Victor.           

“This is no time for jokes!” said Yuuri, staring intently at his PokéNav Plus. “According to the news, there’s a city-wide blackout in Dortmund!”

“City-wide…?”

“Yes! Apparently, there was a fire at the Power Plant!”

 _Fire! Who could have set fire to the Power Plant?_ Yuri’s mind immediately conjured up images of men and women in red-and-black masks. Legendary Pokémon annihilating whole cities. That scarlet rose insignia. 

His mind was filled with nothing but those images.

Of course, it had to be Crimson Society!

There was no doubt about it! He had to stop them!

He just had to!

“We… we should go check it out, shouldn’t we, Victor?” said Yuuri.

“Definitely!” Victor nodded. He gestured to the waitress. “Bill, please!”

“I’m coming along too!” Yuri blurted out. 

The Elite Four and the Champion gawked at him like he had gone mad.

“Yurio… it’s too dangerous!” gasped Yuuri, concern written all over his face.

“I don’t care! I know who did it!”

… 

…

“YOU DO???”

“Crimson Society, obviously!” exclaimed Yuri. “I know they disbanded a long time ago, but they are back for a vengeance! Who else could it be?” 

Victor stood up from his chair and adjusted his coat. 

“Oh well, I guess it won’t hurt if you come with us,” said the Champion, flipping his bangs. “I’m sure you’re more than capable of holding your own out there, right?”

“Yes!” nodded Yuri eagerly, his eyes blazing with conviction. Even though he had absolutely no idea how the hell Victor arrived at that conclusion, especially after his horrendous showing at the Battle Royal earlier that day.

“I still think it’s too unsafe though,” frowned Yuuri.

“Let’s just call it my Champion’s intuition!” said Victor, winking at the Elite Four member. “Don’t worry, Yurio will be fine! He’ll have the both of us protecting him! And even if we told him to stay put, do you really think that’ll stop him?”

“I guess not,” sighed Yuri. “Alright, Yurio! You can tag along too! But don’t wander off too far on your own, okay?” 

“What am I, five?” snapped Yuri. “I can handle myself, thank you very much!”

“You definitely can!” grinned Victor. “So, let’s get moving, shall we? If Crimson Society really came back, like what you said, I want to see it for myself. After all, back then… I was the one who defeated them.”

\---

 

Without electricity, life came to a standstill in Dortmund City.

Trainers all over were commanding a handy Flash from their Pokémon to light up the streets, so the city was far from pitch-darkness… but it definitely lost quite a bit of the vibrancy that characterized its world-famous night scene. There were none of those psychedelic neon signs flashing in almost every color of the spectrum, and none of the bouncy house music reverberating from the clubs. The games at the Pokéathlon Dome could not continue without the electronic score system; the slot machines in the casino stopped spinning. Yuri was used to the peace and quiet of Arethusa Town’s so-called ‘night life’… but this coming from a place like Dortmund was just plain unheard of. 

On the outskirts of the city lay the Power Plant, and even from a distance, Yuri could see heavy plumes of black smoke billowing from it. A police safety barricade had been erected a good distance away from the plant, attracting a mob of curious and angry onlookers.

“Can someone explain what’s going on?” 

“I swear there was totally an explosion!” 

“Holy smokes, indeed!” 

“Hey… isn’t that Champion Victor?” 

“Oh wow, it’s Elite Four Yuuri as well!”

Yuri, Victor, and Yuuri managed to weave through the throngs of onlookers, ending up right in front of the barricade. It helped that people were more willing to give way to the celebrity star Trainers that were the Elite Four and the Champion. “You all have my eternal gratitude!” chirped Victor, flashing his pearly white smile at the crowd.

Yuri could have sworn that he saw some people faint from happiness on the spot.

“Is there anything we can do?” Yuuri asked the Police Officer stationed at the barricade.

“Your help is much needed, in fact!” replied the Officer. “The fire’s still raging strong! I’ll make an exception and let you guys pass.” 

“Thank you!” said Victor. “Come on, Yuuri, Yurio!”

The three of them walked past the barricade into the main scene of the fire. The heat was starting to get unbearably intense. It did not help that Yuri’s whole ensemble consisted of the color black. He immediately took off his jacket and stuffed it inside his bag.

Firefighters and their Pokémon – ten Octillery – were positioned just outside the entrance of the plant, ready to pounce into action. To Yuri’s amazement, none had been taken yet. They were just… standing there.

“Why aren’t you using Hydro Pump on the fire?” he asked. “That would’ve stopped it by now… right?”

“Yes, but that’s for a normal fire,” explained one Firefighter. “But since this is a Power Plant, there’s a high chance that it might be an electrical fire. If that’s really the case, we need to first and foremost find and cut off the main power source of the fire; only then can we use water to douse the flames. Otherwise, the freely flowing electric charges will spread and potentially electrocute us. We’re protected from that, but there’re wild Pokémon in the vicinity as well, and we don’t know how many. It’s not worth it to take that risk.” 

“We need to find the source fast though,” said another Firefighter. “We’ve already dispatched two teams into the plant, but the place is so big, and they haven’t made any progress. Perhaps you guys can help.”

“Sure thing!” said Victor. “Leave it to us! Go Gardevoir!” The green-and-white Embrace Pokémon emerged from Victor’s Ultra Ball, landing on the ground softly and gracefully.

Victor took out a cylindrical case from his bag. It contained every single TM a Trainer could have! At once, Yuri was struck with a twinge of jealousy. He wanted to have one of those so much! It meant that he could change his Pokémon’s moveset and strategy whenever he fancied to whatever he fancied, to better suit the opponents he was going to face! It would be such a useful thing to have!

“These two TMs should do the trick!” declared Victor. “Gardevoir can now use Light Screen and Reflect!”

Gardevoir raised its arms as its eyes glowed bright pink, conjuring a pink force field surrounding the three of them and itself in a cube. Its eyes then shone in a brilliant yellow, as a similarly colored barrier materialized in a cube around them, overlapping the initial one. Everything outside the dual screens was tinted pink and yellow, yet clarity and visibility was not compromised. Out of curiosity, Yuri reached out his hand to touch the screens… and to his astonishment, it passed right through!

“Those are one-way,” explained Victor. “In battle, this means that the screens will reduce the damage of any incoming attacks, but still allow Gardevoir’s attacks to get through to the opponent at full force. We should be protected from the flames, or falling debris, or any potential electric shocks, but always keep in mind the nature of the screens and stick close to us, alright?”

“Are you ready, Yurio?” asked Yuuri, glancing over at the boy. 

“Of course,” Yuri replied. “Let’s go!”

They walked headlong into the Power Plant, into the danger – first Victor, then Yuri, followed by Yuuri, and finally Gardevoir right at the back. Yuri’s heart was palpitating wildly in his chest. If he had to be honest with himself… he was starting to feel a little afraid. All around them, flames were licking menacingly at the edge of the dual screens, threatening to break into the barrier and incinerate them whole, but Gardevoir held on firmly with its immense Psychic power. Occasionally, a structure or two came crashing down from the ceiling, but bounced right off the barrier that showed no signs of budging. They were safe, completely safe, and with this knowledge and assurance, the warning bells in Yuri’s head started to fade… 

“We need to look out for the source of the fire,” Victor reminded them. “Live wires, sparking cables…” 

“And Crimson Society,” added Yuri.

“And Crimson Society, maybe,” nodded Victor. “But that’s secondary, really. The important thing right now is to stop this fire as soon as possible.”

“Even if it’s really them… I don’t think they’ll be in a place like this…” said Yuuri.

Yuri glowered at them. _These old men can go look for their silly fire hazards for all I care. But I’m going to be the one to solve the root of this problem. I’m going to be the one to suss out the Crimson Society bastards who are behind this, and defeat them!_

He kept his eyes peeled, hoping to catch a glimpse of red on black (or whatever color red and black ended up becoming, after being mixed with pink and yellow)…

…but what he saw was a small Pokémon, cowering underneath a shelf in a corner, shuddering in fear.

_It’s a wild Pokémon! I have to save it!_

The fire was showing no signs of relenting. Red-hot flames circled the shelf, devouring its frame with relish. No doubt about it – the shelf was going to collapse! And the Pokémon beneath it was too stunned to move! 

_It’s going to get killed!_

Without a second thought, Yuri broke out from Gardevoir’s protective dual screens and sprinted with all his might towards the Pokémon…

The flames scorched and seared his bare skin; he flinched at the excruciating pain, instinctively throwing his arms out in front of his face to shield himself from the blaze, and for that one brief moment, he sort of regretted charging into the fire so recklessly like that… _but… but… but _…_ the Pokémon…!!!_

“Yurio! No!” He could barely hear that horrified scream; it felt so far away, completely drowned out by that singular thought in his mind. 

_I must save it!_

Yuri ducked down, grabbed the Pokémon in one swift swoop, turned around instantly, and prepared to make a mad dash back to the barrier…

…he did not notice a certain steel fixture plummeting from the ceiling directly above him, until it was too late…

“Gardevoir, Psychic!”

Surrounded by a blue glow, the fixture froze suddenly in mid-air, mere seconds away from colliding into Yuri’s skull. With a wave of its arms, Gardevoir tossed the fixture to the side, causing it to land on the ground with a loud crash.

Yuri’s legs gave way there and then as he crumpled to the ground. His gaping mouth was parched and his wavering green eyes registered sheer, utter terror. _I almost died just now_ , he realized. _I almost died just now!_

“Yurio!” It was Victor. “Hurry, Gardevoir, get him into the barrier!”

The Embrace Pokémon let down its screens for a couple of seconds as it lifted the trembling boy up from the ground with another Psychic, placing him right between Yuuri and Victor. With Yuri back where he ought to be, it reformed its screens, and everything was safe, once more.

Victor let out an exasperated sigh.

“Look, I’m not your father or anything, so I have no right to scold you… but that was uncalled for, you know? What were you thinking? Didn’t I tell you to stick close to us? It’s really dangerous out there!”

“It really is…” Yuri still had not quite recovered from the shock of his near-death experience just now. (Otherwise, he would have totally argued back.)

“Don’t be so hard on him, Victor!” said Yuuri, placing a comforting hand on Yuri’s head. “All that matters is that he’s okay now, right?”

“Right…” replied Yuri.

At that moment, the Pokémon in Yuri’s arms stirred and let out a whimper, drawing everyone’s attention to it. It was a Shinx, a blue-and-black Electric-type Pokémon with large oval ears and yellow eyes.

“I see!” said Victor, the truth finally dawning on him. “So what you did back there… was to save this little guy, huh?” 

A chuckle escaped Yuuri. “You would’ve done the same, wouldn’t you, Victor?” 

“Yes, but I’m way more experienced as a Trainer than Yurio, after all! And I know that Gardevoir has my back!”

“But _we_ have Yurio’s back, don’t we?” said Yuuri, grinning at the Champion. “After all, we promised that we would protect him!”

“Oh, Yuuri!” said Victor with a resigned smile. “When you put it like this… there’s no way I can argue with you, huh? So Yurio… next time, don’t scare us like that, okay? At least inform us beforehand when you’re off to do something crazy!”

Yuri could not help but smile back. “Deal! And… thanks Gardevoir… thanks you guys… for saving me.”

He took out a Poké Ball and tapped the Shinx’s head with it – an instantaneous catch. It was too weak to struggle, after all.

“The Shinx should be safe in the Poké Ball,” said Victor. “You might want to give it an Oran Berry for good measure. As for you, Yurio, we need to get your burns sorted out! Go! Primarina! Sparkling Aria!”

He tossed another Ultra Ball and out popped Primarina, a mermaid-like Pokémon with a white sea lion-like body and a long blue fish-like tail. The Soloist Pokémon let out a cry, its voice soothing and melodious. The next moment, a flurry of bubbles flowed out from its aquamarine hair, bursting into a shower of sparkles as they made contact with Yuri’s skin.

The piercing pain was gone. The burns were cured. Yuri felt refreshed and energized.

“Thanks, Primarina!” he exclaimed. “So, Sparkling Aria heals burns, am I right to say?”

“Yup!” nodded Victor. “Luckily for you, it’s a move only Primarina can learn, too! Now, let’s continue with our search!”

\---

 

Yuri had no idea how much time had passed since his misadventure, but every second in the sweltering Power Plant felt like another second too long. He had a good mind to just straight up leave, but he knew all too well that he would be roasted like a barbecue once he stepped out of Gardevoir’s dual screens. _Concentrate_ , he thought to himself. _Find the energy source, and we can hightail the hell out of this damned place. Live wires… sparking cables…_

“Ah!” yelped Victor all of a sudden.

“You found the source?” asked Yuri eagerly.

“I think… I think we’re walking around in circles,” said the Champion with a sheepish smile.

Yuri groaned in dismay. Unfortunately, Victor was right. They were back where Yuri rescued the Shinx. He could spot the shelf in the corner that Shinx had hidden under just now, albeit burnt to a crisp and almost unrecognizable.

“Umm… do you want me to lead instead?” offered Yuuri.

“It won’t make a difference!” said Victor. “It has nothing to do with my sense of direction…”

“I didn’t say –” 

“…yet I swear Yuuri, this place is a total labyrinth! And the fire’s really not helping at all! Some of the entrances are completely blocked. Sometimes, I can’t even tell where I’m going – ah!”

“What now?” grumbled Yuri.

“Look! Over there!” gasped Victor, pointing to something ahead of them.

Yuri squinted his eyes to get a closer look. A four-legged Pokémon treaded out warily from the flames, approaching the group with footsteps that made nary a sound. It had oval ears and disheveled blue-and-black fur, but what caught Yuri’s attention was its spiky black mane that encircled its face, giving it an air of regality. It was staring intently at the group with intense yellow eyes.

A wild Luxray! Yuri immediately consulted his Pokédex. _It can see clearly through walls to track down its prey and seek its lost young,_ he read. And if that was the final evolved form of Shinx… that means the Shinx from just now… was its young?

The Luxray’s mouth crackled with electricity as it bared its sharp teeth, ramming at the dual screens repeatedly with its bite. Thunder Fang! And to Yuri’s horror, cracks were beginning to form on the screens! Gardevoir could barely hold up any longer!

 _It’s keeping up the screens for too long,_ Yuri observed. _And_ _the screens get weaker after a certain period of time._ _It needs to recast the screens right now! But once it relents, Luxray will take this chance to attack us!_

The wild Luxray gave up attacking with Thunder Fang. Stepping back a couple of paces, it let out a piercing roar as its entire body became shrouded with sparks of blue electricity. It crouched into position… 

“That’s a Wild Charge!” yelled Victor. “Yuuri, hurry!”

“I got this!” answered the Elite Four member. “Go, Greninja! Spikes!”

The dark blue Ninja Pokémon emerged from Yuuri’s Ultra Ball once again, tossing out a layer of barbs at the feet of the Luxray. At once, the aura surrounding it became a faint bronze. The wild Luxray ignored the Spikes and barreled towards the group, ramming its fully charged body into Greninja…

…but Greninja took absolutely no damage from the attack!

“Greninja’s now a Ground-type,” said Yuuri triumphantly. “Whatever Electric-type move Luxray uses won’t have any effect on it!”

“Beautiful work, Yuuri, Greninja!” gushed Victor. “Now, Gardevoir, Light Screen, then Reflect!”

The Embrace Pokémon refreshed its screens, mending the damage Luxray dealt to them before. “We’re ready for you now, Luxray!” challenged Victor. “Come at us!”

However, to their surprise, the Luxray stopped attacking. Its eyes bore into Yuri’s… 

“Rrrr…” 

Yuri was taken aback. “W-what do you want from me?”

And then it hit him. _Of course! Its young!_ Yuri reached into his pocket for Shinx’s Poké Ball and presented it in front of Luxray. The Gleam Eyes Pokémon cocked its head curiously at the gesture. It made its way cautiously towards the boy and prodded the Poké Ball on his hand with a paw.

“You’re looking for your child, aren’t you?” said Yuri. “It’s safe inside the Poké Ball! It’s safe with us! You don’t have to worry anymore!”

“Rrrr!” The Luxray seemed to understand. It let out a content growl and licked Yuri’s hand affectionately. 

“H-hey!” giggled Yuri. “Cut that out!” 

“Aww, it’s grateful to Yurio!” cooed Victor. “He risked life and limb to save its child from the fire, after all!”

The Luxray extended out its paw to the group. 

“You want to help us?” asked Yuri, grabbing the paw with his other hand.

“Rrrraaay!”

An idea struck him. “You have X-ray vision, right? That’s probably how you traced Shinx’s whereabouts in the first place. In that case, can you help us locate the source of this fire?”

Luxray nodded briskly. Its eyes glowed a bright red as it stood unmoving, concentrating. Yuri held his breath in anticipation. _That’s the X-ray vision at work! It must be scanning the Power Plant for our target!_ _Come on… you can do it!_  

A couple of minutes later, Luxray let out a roar of affirmation. 

“Awesome!” exclaimed Yuri. “Now, Luxray, lead us there!”

The Gleam Eyes Pokémon bounded through corridors and passageways, unafraid of the vicious flames. It swerved left, swerved right, leapt up two flights of stairs, swerved right again, leapt down another flight of stairs… Yuri and the rest could barely keep up with its swift movements.

Eventually, the group ended up at a grassy outdoor area of the plant, a fair distance from where they first started out. “We’re definitely in the right place,” said Yuuri. “The flames here are way larger than back inside!” 

Yuri had never been more relieved to be shielded within Gardevoir’s dual screens. _Those aren’t mere flames anymore_ , he gulped. _It’s an inferno!_  

Standing tall above them were huge steel structures, with wires running along the top – transmission towers, as well as high voltage transmission lines. Yuri had close to no knowledge about the workings of a Power Plant, but even he knew that they were the ones responsible for transmitting power to the entire city.

And then he spotted it – a downed line. It was exposed, with its insulation burnt to cinders, but it was still very much live, energized and flickering with hot white sparks. And the line must have been in contact with the grass the whole time… heating up the grass… which must have triggered the fire… and the fire must have spread throughout the whole plant… burning all the way to the main building… destroying everything along its path…!!!

“Hey!” he yelled to the others. “Over there! That transmission line!”

“I see it!” nodded Yuuri. “Greninja! Do your thing!” 

Greninja sprung out from the dual screens, grabbed the downed line, and snapped it into two. The circuit was broken! Which meant that charges could no longer flow, and it was safe for the Firefighters to put out the fire with water!

“We did it,” breathed Yuri. “Now, let’s get the hell out of here!”

With Luxray at the helm, the group managed to escape from the Power Plant in record time. At the entrance, the ten Octillery sprang into action. With a combination of Rain Dance and Hydro Pump, slowly but surely, the huge blaze subsided, with only wisps of smoke remaining.

Yuri was soaked from head to toe, but he did not care. It was a respite he very much welcomed, after that agonizing hour in the furnace of a Power Plant.

He glanced over at Victor and Yuuri ( _under an umbrella, those wimps_ ). They were heaping praises on Gardevoir and Greninja for a job well done, beaming from ear to ear. Sure, they were… not quite what he expected, for an Elite Four and a Champion, and moreover, downright annoying at times, but he knew he could not _hate_ them anymore, after everything that had happened inside the Power Plant… after they supported his back… after they saved his life…

“Yurio!” said Victor, walking up to him. “The Firefighters told us that the power will be back in no time at all; apparently Dortmund City had a backup plant underground, believe it or not! So what are your plans now?”

Yuri had none. 

“It’s getting late, isn’t it, Victor?” smiled Yuuri. “Why don’t we go check in at the hotel? We should get a room for Yurio too, shouldn’t we!”

“Definitely!” said Victor, clapping his hands together. “After all, he was the big hero for today!”

“Me?” gawked Yuri. “I almost died! You had to save me, for god’s sake!”

“But you rescued the Shinx,” Yuuri pointed out. “And if it weren’t for that, Luxray wouldn’t have helped us! And we wouldn’t have found the fire source so soon! We’ll probably still be walking in circles inside the plant right now!”

“So, Yurio!” winked Victor. “If you don’t have anywhere else to go… want to stay at the Plaza with us? It’s a pretty decent hotel, you know!”

 _‘Pretty decent’_? That was a strong contender for understatement of the year! Only the richest of the rich could afford a room at the prestigious Plaza Hotel Dortmund! And of course, what did he expect, an Elite Four and the Champion would be part of that list! It was an offer no one in the right mind could resist! 

Yet… as a Trainer, he had his dignity! It was, after all, an Elite Four, and the freaking Champion! Sure, they were probably no longer ‘enemies’ in the most literal sense of the word after today but… he was supposed to decimate them in battle, not live with them like one big happy family!

But he wanted to go, so, so much!

But he couldn’t, he just couldn’t!

All this while, Victor was grinning at Yuri amusedly. “I’ll take your silence as a yes, then!” he sang, pulling at Yuri’s bag and skipping in the direction of the hotel.

“Anyway,” the Champion continued, “the fire turned out _not_ to be the work of Crimson Society after all! Why in the world would you assume it’s them? You have a lot of explaining to do, Yurio!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Octillery was chosen because it looks the most like a fire hydrant...
> 
> If you read this story and liked it somehow, and actually looked forward to it, you have my eternal gratitude <3 Finals are coming up, so in the coming few weeks, updates won't be as frequent. So instead of a chapter every 4-5 days, there'll be one chapter every 6-8 days... hopefully!


	12. An Elite Four And The Champion (Part III)

Not many people in this world could claim they spent a night in the world-famous, award winning, highly acclaimed, luxury six-star boutique hotel that was the Plaza Hotel Dortmund before.

As of today, Yuri could proudly say he did. 

The first thing Yuri noticed was the incredible view outside his window – his ‘Deluxe Premium Room’ was on the thirty-fifth floor, which meant that he had a sweeping panoramic bird’s eye view of the whole city and beyond. Now that the power was restored, the city was back to its usual happening self, with the various landmarks and buildings flashing in bedazzling neon colors, like shimmering rainbow stars scattered across the night sky. 

Next, Yuri immediately filled the gray marble bathtub with warm, frothy water to create probably the best bubble bath he had ever taken in his life. There was also a complimentary soapy ball-thing of sorts which, when dumped into the bath, fizzled apart in a swirl of glitter and rose petals, dying the water in hues of pink, white and yellow. Yuri was immediately reminded of Gardevoir’s Light Screen and Reflect barrier from earlier just now. Apparently, that ball-thing was supposed to _relax the mind and soften the skin_ , according to the wrapper, but who cared about all that! It looked plain awesome, way more awesome than the dingy common showers in the Trainers’ Hostels he had stayed at ever since the beginning of his journey!

After his bath – god knew how much time he spent soaking in there – he jumped onto his king-sized bed (!!!), stretching out his weary limbs, spreading out like a Staryu in all directions. Oh, how wonderful it felt, having such a huge, comfy bed, all to himself! Anchored to the wall in front of his bed was a wide-screen television, and out of curiosity, Yuri switched it on, flipping the channels using the remote control. Most of them were news channels, detailing the fire at the Power Plant just now… some of them were mainstream pop music channels he could not give two shits about… and holy crap, was that the opening credits for _Brycen-Man Strikes Back Harder_? It was Yuri’s all-time favorite movie! He had seen it three times in cinemas – once with his parents, once with Mila, and a final time with his grandfather – but a fourth time could not hurt, right? It was like relieving his childhood all over again. Yuri knew exactly how he was going to spend the rest of his night.

_Something’s missing, though…_

“Go! Litten, Wimpod, Shinx!” Out emerged his three Pokémon from their Poké Balls.

“We’re going to watch a movie together,” Yuri said eagerly to his Pokémon. “I bet none of you have ever watched a movie before! It’s going to be great!”

Litten and Wimpod were looking suspiciously at Shinx…

“Oh yeah, that’s our new teammate,” said Yuri. “Let’s all get along, and don’t fight with one another, alright?” 

“Mrowr!” purred Litten, nodding in affirmation. 

“Wiiiii!” squealed Wimpod, bouncing up and down on the bed.

“Shrrrr!” Shinx just looked happy and relieved to be in the room.

Yuri too, was glad that Shinx was feeling much better now, after the terrifying ordeal in the Power Plant. The Pokémon Center really worked miracles. As an Electric-type Pokémon, Shinx would be a great addition to his team; it could deal with any Flying-types that Wimpod was weak to, or any Water-types that were the bane of Litten’s life. The moves Shinx could use in battle were… now was not the time to think about that. All he wanted to do now was concentrate on the movie.

Huddling his Pokémon close to him, Yuri snuggled under the duvet and…

_…what’s a movie without food?_

He flipped open the room service menu. Surely, Champion Victor Nikiforov, who was rich enough to afford a Deluxe Premium Room _and_ a freaking Grand Suite, could spare some cash for a club sandwich, a basket of fries, a tropical berry soda, plus a large plate of Poké Puffs, no?

Five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. _Meal time!_ thought Yuri, leaping out of bed excitedly. _What timely and efficient service!_

When he opened his door, what greeted him was his all his food, prepared to perfection, placed upon a wooden trolley…

… and the Champion Victor, and Elite Four Yuuri.

“Yurio!” said an affronted Victor. “I can’t believe you ordered room service without consulting us first!”

_Oh, crap._

“If you did, I would have totally recommended the macaroni and cheese!” Victor continued. “That’s like, the best thing one can have for supper! Also, I would ask for more fries, if I were you. They usually won’t charge extra money even if you do! A little secret I learnt from all these years of staying at this hotel!”

“But… that’s just Victor, really!” added Yuuri hastily. “Cheese before bedtime is never a good idea!” 

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” gawked Yuri. 

“Can’t we watch a movie with our new friend?” asked Victor innocently. 

“Really?” Yuri narrowed his eyes. “That's all you want? What’s wrong with the TV in your room?”

“Nothing!” Victor grinned back. “But it’s so much more fun if we watch together, don’t you think? You probably wouldn’t go upstairs if we called you, so we came down to your room instead!”

Judging from Yuri’s previous… odd behavior when invited to hang out with those two, it was not hard to see how Victor arrived at that conclusion.

He grudgingly let them in. Well, he did not want to miss any more of his movie… and knowing them, they were probably not going to leave unless he called security, so…

“Yuuri hasn’t seen this movie before, so he’s particularly excited, isn't that right?” said Victor, smiling affectionately at the Elite Four member.

“What?” scoffed Yuri. “How could you have not watched _Brycen-Man Strikes Back Harder_? It’s a classic!”

_…Oh. Of course._

“Umm… maybe I did,” said a sheepish Yuuri, “but… I wouldn’t have remembered it. Because… you know.”

“Right,” mumbled Yuri. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine, really!” Yuuri assured. 

The movie passed by in a flash, as did all great movies. Yuri and the rest screamed and cheered at all the plot twists and nail-biting fight sequences. It was hard to admit but… deep down, he was immensely glad that he had found two others who shared the same love for the Brycen-Man series like he did.

For a moment, he envied Yuuri, who got to experience the mind-blowing thrills and amazement of watching the movie for the very first time… but immediately decided that it was absolutely not worth losing fifteen years of precious memories for this one pleasure. It was crazy how that guy managed to bounce back from that, to become who he was today. Victor must have played a pretty significant part. _How long did those two go back? What exactly is the relationship between them? Why the hell do I even care about stuff like that? And why the hell aren’t those two moving from their chairs yet???_

“Hey!” said Yuri. “It’s time to go! If you two haven’t noticed yet, the movie’s over!”

“Ah-ah! Not yet!” said Victor. “You have a lot of explaining to do, remember? Something about Crimson Society?” 

Yuri’s jaw dropped. “So you _do_ have an ulterior motive for coming here!”

“I mean, since we’re already here, why not, right?” winked the Champion.

Yuri’s mind could not process how unbelievable that man was. 

“Fine!” he relented. “If you want an explanation so much, I’ll give it to you! Ask away! You, of all people, should be in the know, anyway! Like I said, Crimson Society is back! I met them! I battled them!”

\---

 

And so Yuri told them everything. About the encounter in Crystalline cave, about the secret tunnel to Grimmetts City, about the kidnapping, about how he fought them in the most unfair conditions ever in a one-versus-five… 

The shock that registered on Yuuri’s and Victor’s faces was palpable. 

“You said you battled Grunts,” said Yuuri. “But Victor told me that Crimson Society had no Grunts… right?”

“Right,” nodded Victor. “Back then, it was just the Crimson Society Leader and his five Admins. Are you sure it’s them?” 

“Yes,” said Yuri. “They were wearing their logo. A red rose, with the letters ‘C’ and ‘S’ on it. There’s no way I would mistake it.”

“I… believe you, Yurio,” said Victor. “I really do. But here’s the thing. You know that I was the one who defeated the Society five years ago, right? To do so, I have to defeat their Leader, the bedrock of the whole group! And, well… he’s dead! So how is it that they managed to pull themselves back together?” 

…

…

“YOU KILLED A MAN???” 

At its Trainer’s sudden outburst, Wimpod leapt ten feet into the air, crashed into the ceiling (which luckily for Yuri’s wallet, remained undamaged), and landed back to the bed with a thud. It immediately burrowed under the duvet as Litten and Shinx chased after it, trying their best to pull it out from hiding.

The Elite Four and the Champion burst into peals of laughter. “No, Yurio, no!” wheezed Victor. “Nothing like that! Haven’t you visited the Victor Nikiforov Museum in Arethusa Town?”

“Umm… no?”

“But why not?”

“Because… it’s a museum?”

“Fair point!” said Victor. “If you have though, you would’ve known all about my battle with the Crimson Society Leader! There’s a whole exhibit on it! Complete with pretty neat wax figures of me, him, Yveltal… surely you’ve heard about the Legendary Yveltal, right?”

Yuri nodded. It was the Crimson Society’s signature Pokémon – what their Leader was infamous for. Everyone knew that. Once, he tried looking it up on the Pokédex, but unfortunately, there was not much information about the species. According to Minako, data on Legendary Pokémon was extremely had to obtain, and most of what they knew was based off anecdotes, myths or legends, which was apparently not sufficient as evidence for the scientific community to regard as truth. “There are books in the Chrysler library if you want more details,” Minako had told him over the Xtransceiver, “but you do need to do some cross-referencing to get a bigger picture of the situation, and some of the claims can be contradictory to others….” and a whole lot more science talk that Yuri could not be bothered to understand.           

“Like all Legendary Pokémon,” said Victor, “Yveltal’s base stats are off the charts. It is immensely powerful. I shan’t spoil you with all the juicy details of our fight – seriously, just go visit the museum! – but my Pokémon and I had a really rough time dealing with it! We managed to pull through in the end, of course. Still… the battle took quite a lot out from the both of us. The Crimson Leader was in complete shambles by the end of it. And then the strangest thing happened! His body just started… how should I put this? His body started… evaporating… scattering apart… into millions of red particles… carried away by the wind. He was literally gone, just like that, right in front of my very eyes!”

“Holy shit,” murmured Yuri. “That’s insane. Humans… don’t die like that, do they?” 

“No. They definitely don’t.” 

“So… you think the Crimson Society Leader… isn’t human?”

“I don’t know,” replied Victor. “Well, he looks human to me… but who knows what’s under that mask of his, really.” 

“Maybe he didn’t really die,” shrugged Yuri. “Maybe he teleported back to his home planet, waiting patiently in a stasis tube for his particles to regenerate.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell Victor this whole time,” giggled Yuuri. “Not the home planet thing, but the fact that the Crimson Society Leader might not really be dead. Still… he kept insisting otherwise.” 

“I’m sure he’s dead!” asserted Victor. “I’m sure he’s not coming back! I don’t think that after the battle we had, after he got _defeated_ , he had enough energy left in him to pull off any sort of fancy teleportation trick, human or not! And the way he went out too… my instincts were telling me – screaming to me – that it’s truly a death, and it’s final!” 

Yuri was slightly taken aback. He had never seen Victor this agitated before.

Victor took a calming breath. “Okay, how about this? After my victory over the Crimson Society, I got promoted to Champion. I traveled all over the world as an Ibara Pokémon League Representative to help promote peace and solve conflict. The first place I visited was Sinnoh, and it was no doubt the most memorable one for me. It was at this very region where I met the love of my life…”

…from the corner of his eye, Yuri could see Yuuri flushing a deep Darmanitan red…

“…Old Gateau, the taste of paradise on earth! You should really try it someday, Yurio! Oh, and I also met Yuuri too. He joined me in my travels soon after, and we went to so many wonderful places, helping out so many people and Pokémon! Kanto, Johto, Unova, Alola… wherever you name it, we’ve been there! It’s the most fun I’ve ever experienced in my life, isn’t that right, Yuuri?”

“You’re drifting off topic again, Victor,” sighed Yuuri.

“Ahaha! Sorry about that!” winked the Champion, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. “Anyway, our travels eventually led us to the Kalos Region, to a place called Geosenge Town. Apparently, around a decade or so ago, an Yveltal awakened there, and almost destroyed the whole town! There’s a huge crater in the middle of the town as evidence; of course, over the years, it became some sort of a tourist attraction, rather than a blemish, but that’s not the point! In any case, we managed to find out tons of information about Yveltal from the residents living there!”

“Like…?”

“Like the fact that Yveltal is able to absorb the life energy of living things,” said Yuuri. “Actually… to be honest… that’s the only thing we found out.”

“It seems like ‘a ton’ to me,” shrugged Victor. “Maybe that’s because we don’t know much about Yveltal in the first place.”

“And Victor took this to be proof that his theory was correct, that the Crimson Society Leader is actually dead,” continued Yuuri.           

“So you mean… Yveltal absorbed the Crimson Leader’s life? And his body?” asked Yuri, his eyes wide with horror. “That’s… a pretty horrible thing to do to someone who was once its Trainer, don’t you think so?”

“Indeed!” nodded Victor. “But that’s what it seemed like, from my perspective. Maybe it’s Yveltal’s way of taking revenge on him for controlling it, and making it commit so many atrocities.”

Yuri’s blood ran cold. “Then… then… the Florentina Forest… the entire Florentina Town…” _The entire Florentina Town… that was utterly annihilated after Victor’s battle with Crimson Society… where I last saw my parents…_

“Absorbed by Yveltal…”

“But why would it do that?” Yuri burst out. “What did the people there do to it? They were completely innocent!”

“They were,” said Victor. “But I think… Florentina was… just a side effect of Yveltal’s fatal final attack on the Crimson Leader. Have you seen the town? Well, you probably haven’t, since the photos are all in the museum, but everything’s, believe it or not, still intact.”

“What?” interjected Yuri. That was not what he was made to believe all this while. “So the town _isn’t_ destroyed?”

“Not per se,” murmured Victor. “Florentina didn’t evaporate into thin air like the Crimson Leader did. It’s still there. The plants in the forest… people… Pokémon… those who were affected by Yveltal’s final attack, they’re still there. Their physical bodies are still unharmed. Yet they’re not… _living_. It’s as if they’re petrified in stone… frozen in time… devoid of any hint of a soul in them. Like you, many believed the destruction to be more… tangible, because all this while, the forest and town had been cordoned off… so no one knew the extent of the damage… so speculation was rife. That was why I set up the museum. I wanted bring the truth to light once and for all.”

“But… the people in the town… they’re not dead, right?” gasped Yuri. “Devoid of life, but not… dead… right?” Tears were stinging his eyes, but he blinked them back; he was not going to cry in front of those two. Five years! It had been five freaking years, and the mere mention of Florentina Town could still _almost_ reduce him into such a pathetic wreck! All this while, he had convinced himself that he had more or less gotten past that stage, but… 

“Yurio… are you okay?” asked a concerned Yuuri. 

“Yes!” replied Yuri, hoping desperately that the other two did not notice the crack in his voice. “Of course! Which part of me doesn’t look okay to you?”

“If I’m not wrong… your accident probably had something to do with the final battle in Florentina Forest, right?” said Yuuri. “That’s probably why… just now, back at the restaurant, you were so quick to accuse Crimson Society of the fire… even though it was not their doing. All this time, you’ve always held a grudge against them…”

There was nothing Yuri could say. Yuuri was spot on.

“Do… do you want to talk about it, Yurio?” asked Victor, breaking the silence.

Yuri shook his head vigorously.

“Maybe it’ll help you feel better. We’ll listen to you.” 

“Fine! If you insist!” snapped Yuri, glaring at the Champion. He knew he was going to regret this but… he pushed that thought away. “Brace yourself, because I’m not going to hold back, alright? Actually, I got into my coma way before the final battle even began. The Crimson Leader launched many attacks. I got hit unconscious by one of them, so my parents sent me back to Arethusa Town, for my own safety. That’s what Grandpa told me, anyway. But my parents… they stayed behind in Florentina Town. They… they were Trainers, you see. They probably thought they could help or something. Which was… so stupid of them! They shouldn’t have stayed! They should’ve gone back to Arethusa with me! Or else… they wouldn’t have…”

“Yurio…”

“And you!” wailed Yuri, pointing an accusing finger at Victor. “Why did you even let them stay?”

“It’s my fault,” murmured Victor. “Before I faced off with the Crimson Leader in Florentina Forest, I tried my best to evacuate everyone. I made sure absolutely no one was in the forest except him and me. I thought that Florentina Town would be safe from the action, so I led everyone there. Your parents who escaped there… they probably thought they would be safe, too. And so did many others… they probably thought the same way. All of them… they thought I would protect them. Yet… I didn’t expect that mess of a grand finale. Never did it once cross my mind that Yveltal would… drain out everyone’s life force like that! And for it to affect such a large radius too… I didn’t see it coming… until the very last minute…” 

“Where did Yveltal go after that?”           

“I… don’t know.”

“What the hell??? You let it off just like that??? After all the horrible shit it did???”

“With its Trainer dead, Yveltal’s no longer a threat to us! And after seeing what happened to the Crimson Leader… I knew had to escape the forest as soon as possible! It was a miracle I managed to make it out alive…yet when I returned, Yveltal was gone… and so was the forest… and the whole town. It was indeed a mistake on my part. I… I apologize.”

“You’re right!” said Yuri scathingly. “It was definitely your mistake! Why are you such a coward? Why are you such a freaking idiot? Why couldn’t you evacuate the people to some place further?”

“Yurio, stop!” cried Yuuri, bolting up from his chair. 

“They made you Champion! They call you a living legend! The savior of the Ibara Region! And you gladly let them! But how are those titles even accurate? You don’t deserve them at all! You failed to save my parents! You failed to save Florentina Town! You only saved your own sorry ass!”

“Stop it, Yurio!” pleaded Yuuri. “Just, stop it! Of course, you can say all of that, since you already have the hindsight of what’s going to happen next! You knew the consequences of Victor’s actions, because you are living in it, right now! But Victor… try standing in his shoes for once! He had to make that decision on the spot! And perhaps Florentina Town was the best option he could think of at that time! I don’t know what it was like, but it must have been utter chaos back then! Like you said, Crimson Society was relentless! And Yveltal wasn’t the only Legendary Pokémon that the Leader owned! I’m sure you know that! The whole region was in crisis! Every second wasted with inaction might be another second too late! Victor knew he needed to end things fast with the Leader, so he did! He had little information about Yveltal at that time – too little, I know – yet he had no choice but to act on it! He really didn’t expect Yveltal’s final attack, because he couldn’t! If he could… do you think things would end up the way they are today?” 

…

“Victor… he failed to save Florentina Town and Florentina Forest; that is fact. Do you think… do you think… he doesn’t know that? You’re… far from the first person to remind him! But you just met him! You don’t… know him! Even after so long… he has always felt guilty about that incident! He has always regretted it, so, so much! All this while, he’s been blaming himself for something that’s not truly his fault, for something he has so little control over…”

“Yuuri, you don’t have to speak up for me…”

“I have to, Victor! Yurio, I hope you can understand… despite that one mistake, Victor helped so many people too. He’s been helping people, to this very day. And that is also fact! He’s the reason why we are still alive today! He’s the reason why Ibara is still on the world map! He risked everything to stop Crimson Society for us! After they disbanded, people are hopeful for the future again! And Victor… he is the personification of that hope for them! After all, he was the one who brought peace back to the region. That was why he took on those titles. That was why he became the face of Ibara – the Pokémon League Representative. He didn’t want to disappoint everyone again, especially not after what happened to Florentina…” 

Yuri was dumbfounded. He never expected that sort outburst from Yuuri Katsuki, of all people. Not in a million years. “I told you…” he muttered. “I wasn’t going to hold back…”

“You definitely didn’t!” said Victor, with a sad smile on his face. “And neither did you, Yuuri! But you do feel better now, don’t you, Yurio?” 

“Victor…” Tears were streaming down Yuuri’s cheeks. 

“It’s okay, Yuuri!” assured Victor, squeezing his hand. “Thanks for defending me, really, but I think Yurio needed that! It’s not good for him to keep these emotions bottled up!”

Now that he calmed down a little, clarity was starting to seep into Yuri’s mind. Of course he knew it was simply not possible to save everyone. He knew it all along; he watched so many Brycen-Man movies; he was not stupid. Whatever happened to him and his parents really was not Victor’s fault at all. If anything else, his rage and fury should be directed at Crimson Society instead. All this years, he had known that, and he had accepted that, and yet today, his emotions still just got the better of him. Yuri made a mental note to not let his anger control him like that any more. (Or at least try. Because the number of pesky annoyances in this world was just too damn high.) 

In any case, after spilling everything out, after the storm clouds had parted, his whole body felt lighter somehow, like he was floating on air, like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Victor was right. He really needed that.

Still, one question remained. 

“Do you think… the people in Florentina Town… can return back to life again someday?”

“Yes, I do,” said Victor, with more conviction than anything Yuri had ever heard. “I really do believe that, Yurio.”


	13. An Advanced Boost

It was yet another new day. When Yuri stepped out of his hotel room, he saw Victor and Yuuri standing just outside, waiting for him.

“Morning, Yurio!” they greeted.

“W-what the hell are you guys doing here… again?”

“Breakfast!” grinned Victor, back to his old, nauseatingly cheerful self. “I know a great place, with the best buttered toast and…”

Yuri could not believe his ears.

 _What in the world is this man thinking?_ _It’s as if last night totally didn’t happen at all. Say, oh great and mighty Champion, did you just pull a Yuuri Katsuki on me and completely forget that less than eight hours ago, I totally demeaned your achievements, mocked your reputation, and improperly accused you of the Florentina incident? Did you forget about how I drove your precious Yuuri to tears? Why the hell are you still being so friendly towards me? Like, what the actual hell?_

“Get to the point already, damn it!” sighed Yuri, rolling his eyes. There was no way the man just wanted breakfast. Something must be up his sleeve.

“Fine, you got me,” relented Victor. “Okay, so last night, after we left your room, Yuuri and I came up with a brilliant plan! You’re going to be challenging the Dortmund Gym, I presume! Well, Yuuri and I will train you! We’ll help you win your second Badge!”

…

_Wait…_

_What???_

“Why???” Yuri blurted out.

“Because… I want to?” said Victor innocently.

_So… according to Victor Nikiforov, the consequence of insulting a Champion after he paid for your dinner and lodging for the night is… a free training session. Sure, that makes total sense._

Yuri’s mind practically imploded with the sheer absurdity of this unexpected turn of events.

And he was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable as well. Was that it? Was that the end of that ‘conversation’ from the night before? Was he forgiven just like that? He was let off way too easily, wasn’t he? Shouldn’t they be sworn enemies by now? Shouldn’t they blacklist him, or kick him out of the hotel, lest he screamed something horrible at them again? And perhaps Yuri would rather it that way. It would make him feel less conflicted about how unreasonably nice they were to him, despite him being such an angsty brat and all… 

“Umm… Yurio?” ventured Yuuri. “If you are worried about yesterday night…” 

“I-I’m not!” sputtered Yuri, averting his gaze.

“Well, in the event that you are, we just want you to know that you don’t have to be!” said Yuuri. “We know that you were really emotional… and really angry… and that you said those words in the heat of the moment! We know you meant no harm!”

“R-really…?” The words could not help but escape from Yuri’s mouth.

“Really,” assured Yuuri. “So please come train with us! I know Victor won’t budge from here if you don’t!”

“Aww Yuuri, you know me too well!” giggled the Champion.

There was the issue of his pride. There was also the issue that Victor Nikiforov was being an annoyingly secretive prick and surely those two had some ulterior motive for training him; he just could not figure out what. Plus… he did absolutely nothing to deserve their apparent kindness, and the ethically correct response would be to turn them down, no? 

But when it came to achieving his goals, all of that did not matter anymore to Yuri. For the sake of growing stronger, what better way was there than to learn from the best of the best? Only an idiot would refuse such a great offer like that. For the sake of growing stronger, who gave a crap about pride, hidden schemes, and morals? There were worse things he would do… probably. He would even sell his soul to Yveltal if he had to. 

(Okay, maybe not that last part. He would never, ever stoop to the level of the Crimson Society Leader. Not in a billion years.)

“Fine!” said Yuri. “I’m coming! And you guys need to stop being so nice to me, okay? It’s seriously creeping me out!”

The Elite Four and the Champion looked at him, at each other, and broke into warm smiles. 

It was yet another new day. He could not wait to get started with his training.

\---

 

After a hearty breakfast, the trio headed off to Route 6, a long, grassy road that connected Dortmund City and Grimmetts City. “Alright,” said Victor, “let’s get started! Your first mission is to defeat all the Trainers in the area!”

“I don’t need you to teach me that!” retorted Yuri, strapping on his skates and rushing off into the tall grass in search of new challengers. It took him no time at all to complete his task. Of course, he could go even faster if he wanted to and sweep everything with Litten and Wimpod, but his newly caught Shinx was slightly underleveled at the moment, and he wanted to train it up to match the rest of his team. This meant putting Shinx in front of his party, and then immediately switching it out once the battle started, so that Shinx could gain experience too, without taking any damage that might possibly knock it out. It was tedious, but necessary. Soon, Shinx was on par with the rest of his Pokémon, the newcomer no longer a weak link on the team.

“I’m done,” smirked the boy. “What’s next?”

“Wow, I’m impressed!” said Yuuri. “Your battling skills are pretty good for a rookie. You pretty much got your fundamentals down.”

“I know, right?” gushed Victor. “That’s a Trainers’ School graduate for you! He didn’t really get the chance to prove his worth during the Battle Royal yesterday, but I really do think he has what it takes to become a top Trainer!”

“H-how did you know I was from the Trainer’s School?” asked Yuri, slightly startled.

“I have my ways!” winked Victor. “Still, you’re not quite there at the top with us yet! In fact, you are far, far, far from it!”

 _Way to rub it in, asshole._ But it was true, unfortunately.

“Which is why… you need an advanced boost!” Victor continued.

 _An advanced boost!_ Yuri’s eyes shone with excitement. Finally! Time to take his skills to the next level! 

“No matter how good you are at battling and tactics, it won’t mean a single thing if your Pokémon are incapable of executing them,” explained Victor. “And right now, the number of strategies your Pokémon can pull off is currently limited by the kind of moves they have. At such low levels, there’s a high chance that you have absolutely nothing in your arsenal that can deal significant damage against stronger opponents. I mean _really_ significant damage. Take Litten for example. Ember with 40 base power might work against the average Trainer, but it’s simply not going to cut it in the big leagues. Of course, your Pokémon will learn better moves later on, as they level up and eventually evolve, but until that day comes, you’ll be struggling to keep afloat with a less-than-optimal moveset. And who knows how long that’ll take! So that’s where we come in!” 

The Champion retrieved the cylindrical case from his bag and placed it firmly into Yuri’s hands. “This case here contains all the TMs in the world! It’s free for you to use!”

“Really?” gasped Yuri. “You’re giving me this?” 

“Borrowing!” corrected Victor. “You still need to return it to us at the end of the day, of course. Each TM has multiple uses, and sometimes, we want to change up our Pokémon’s movesets too! Of course, there will come a time when you’ll want to teach your Pokémon moves that can’t be found in TMs! And that’s when we use the Mecha Tutor 300!” 

Victor pulled out another contraption from his bag. It looked like some sort of a metallic headband for Pokémon. “It’s a collaboration between Professor Yakov and all the Move Tutors in the region!” he explained. “Just place the headband on your Pokémon, speak out the move you want it to learn, and poof! You’re done! Of course, not all moves can be learnt by every Pokémon, so you might want to consult your Pokédex about that!”

“Wow… thanks,” murmured Yuri.

“With these tools at your disposal,” said Victor, “your Pokémon now have access to a larger variety of move options to counter a larger variety of opponents! So you have no excuse to lose this next Gym battle, really!”

According to the two of them, Dortmund City’s Gym Leader, Kenjiro, specialized in Normal-type Pokémon. This meant that the best way to win would be to exploit their only weakness in Fighting, but unfortunately, none of Yuri’s Pokémon could learn any offensive Fighting-type moves. 

Of course, Yuri knew all too well that his opponent might choose to send out dual-type Pokémon, and he could take advantage of the weaknesses of that secondary typing instead. Also, relying on STAB moves seemed like a good plan as well. Normal-types had only a single resistance in Ghost, and unless he was an idiot and decided to attack with Ghost-type moves somehow, he would always guarantee a boosted neutral hit no matter what.

“Do you know which Pokémon I’ll be facing in the Gym battle?” asked Yuri.

Yuuri shook his head. “Gym Leaders train a variety of Pokémon, and they’ll usually decide on the spot who they want to use against you. Most of the time, they’ll take your Pokémon’s levels and the number of Badges you currently have into consideration, so it won’t be anything too impossible for you to handle… but it won’t be a walk in the park either.”

Eventually, Yuri decided to teach Wimpod Waterfall, Leech Life, Spikes and Toxic, making full use of its Water-and-Bug dual STABs. Plus, since Wimpod had a much higher Attack than Special Attack, Leech Life would be quite a significant upgrade from Struggle Bug, both in terms of base damage and eventual damage output. Not only that, the former provided a healing option for Wimpod as well, increasing its survivability in battle. To think that little Wimpod, who had been Sand Attack support at best and fodder at worst during his major battles so far, might actually carry some weight this time round! 

To Litten, Yuri ended up giving it Fire Fang, Work Up, U-turn and Flamethrower. “Since its Attack and Special Attack stats are more or less equal, Litten can pull off a mixed set,” said Victor. “So for opponents with high Defense, using Flamethrower will deal more damage; for opponents with high Special Defense, Fire Fang will be the ideal choice. Of course, to successfully pull it off, you’ll need ample knowledge on the different base stat distributions of different Pokémon!” 

 _Piece of cake._ Yuri had the Pokédex. He had all the information he needed.

As for Shinx, Yuuri proposed Spark, Ice Fang, Thunder Wave and Leer. “Leer, Thunder Wave and Spark will be your main combo, with Spark being your main damage-dealing move. Ice Fang is a good alternative, to help you against Ground, Grass, and Dragon-types that resist Spark.”           

But Yuri did not like that; the concept was fine, yet he would rather Shinx learn the more powerful Wild Charge instead. Victor, the tiebreaker, chose to side with Yuuri this time round, much to the chagrin of the blonde boy. “Wild Charge is a move that deals recoil damage to the user,” explained the Champion, “ and Shinx isn’t that tanky in the first place. I don’t think it’s able to survive this additional damage – and the opponent’s next attack.” 

“God, you guys are a bunch of pussies!” grumbled Yuri. “Even if I give Shinx an Oran Berry, to heal it up after the recoil?”

“Well, come to think of it, that might actually work!” said Victor. “Why don’t you test it out? Oh, I know! Why don’t we have a battle with your newly upgraded Pokémon? I’m sure you’re itching to try out the new movesets!” 

“I can command Litten for you,” offered Yuuri. “And you’ll use Shinx!”

“My Litten doesn’t just listen to anyone, you know!” scoffed Yuri. 

But to the boy’s utter astonishment, Litten tottered up to Yuuri and nestled fondly against his leg.

“Ahaha, I think Litten knows it’s just a friendly training match!” chuckled Yuuri. “You wouldn’t mind going up against your Trainer, right?”

“Mrowr!” Litten purred happily, pawing at Yuuri’s shoes.

Yuri would be lying if he said he was not feeling the least bit betrayed. “All right, you asked for it, Litten!” he said. “I’m not going to hold back! And neither should you!”

In a small clearing on opposite sites, the sparring session between the two Yuris was about to begin.

“Go, Shinx!” exclaimed Yuri. “Show them what we’ve got!” The small Flash Pokémon stepped forward into its very first Trainer battle with a shrill roar, its fur bristling with tiny sparks of electricity.

“Oh, wow, Shinx has the Intimidate Ability!” remarked Yuuri. “In that case, since its Attack stat is lowered… Litten, Flamethrower! That’s the versatility of running a mixed set!”

Yuri could practically taste the sheer power of Litten’s new move. Instead of tiny balls of flames, like in the case of Ember, Litten spewed out a huge, continuous, cone-shaped blast of red-hot fire at Shinx, scorching everything in its way!

“Amazing, isn’t it?” gushed Victor. “That’s the difference between a move with base 90 power and a move with base 40! If Litten had used Ember just now, Shinx would probably still have about two thirds of its health left. But that wasn’t Ember! That was the full brunt of a Flamethrower! And look at Shinx now!” 

The Flash Pokémon was charred beyond belief. It lay dazedly in a patch of smoking grass, blinking a couple of times, as if trying its best to process what just happened to it. “Holy crap!” exclaimed Yuri. “Hurry Shinx, eat your Oran Berry!”

Shinx immediately obeyed his words. And at once, it popped back to its feet and shook off the soot, restoring its fur to its usual gleam. “That’s more like it,” said Yuri, a grin creeping onto his face. “Let’s go, Shinx, Thunder Wave!”

“Shrrr!” With a dogged growl, Shinx let out a weak jolt of electricity from its paws. The Thunder Wave wrapped around Litten in a ring of sparks, trapping it and inflicting it with Paralysis. 

 _All right,_ thought Yuri. _That’s the first part of our plan, complete. But there’s no way in hell Yuuri Katsuki will take this sitting down. Being Paralyzed is just too dangerous – every attack is a gamble, and there’s no knowing when the Paralysis will kick in and stop Litten from moving. Plus, Litten’s Speed got halved as well, so Shinx will outspeed Litten for the rest of the battle._ It was amazing how he could still remember everything Trainers’ School taught him about that status condition. Perhaps Victor’s mention of the school just now had triggered his memories. 

 _Yuuri’s going to waste his next turn with a necessary heal, and this will be my opening!_  

And true to his prediction, the Elite Four member reached into his bag, pulled out a yellow bottle of liquid, and sprayed its contents onto Litten. That was the Paralyze Heal! Within seconds, Litten was cured!

“I knew this was coming!” said Yuri triumphantly. “Shinx, Leer!” 

And Litten’s Defense fell! Stage two, complete! “Good job on the set-up, Yurio!” praised Victor. “With Litten’s Defense compromised, the next Wild Charge is going to hurt really badly!” 

All Shinx needed to do right now was to survive another Flamethrower from Litten and successfully pull off its Wild Charge. Could Shinx do it? Could Wild Charge down Litten in one hit?

He was going to find out. 

“Flamethrower!” commanded Yuuri. Another blazing stream of fire… and Shinx’s blue-and-yellow fur turned crisp black again… but the Flash Pokémon was still alive, barely hanging on with the edge of its teeth!

“Alright!” cheered Yuri. “Now Shinx, Wild Charge!”

Shinx enveloped its body with crackling blue sparks, completely reminiscent of its parent Luxray from the day before. It charged towards Litten, pummeling all its weight onto the Fire Cat Pokémon and tackling it down roughly onto the ground. Litten was shocked, literally, zapped with thousands of volts of electricity from Shinx’s supercharged fur. The excess charges fizzled in the dry air, resulting in a mini explosion right in the middle of the battlefield!

“That was intense!” exclaimed Victor, shielding himself from the blast. “Shinx really gave its all into this attack! And there was little to no resistance from Litten, too! What a close fight!”

The dust started to clear. The first thing Yuri saw was Shinx, lying motionlessly on the ground before him.

“No way!” he gasped in horror, rushing to Shinx’s side. “Shinx fainted!” 

“Yeah,” said Yuuri. “Seems like the recoil damage was just too much for it to bear, especially after being weakened by Litten’s Flamethower. Plus, the much larger burst of damage to the Defense-broken Litten means that Shinx also receives a much larger backlash in return!”

Yuri nodded grudgingly. 

“Ah, I’m not strongly against Wild Charge or anything, really!” continued Yuuri. “With that kind of power, it might be the game changer you need, that Spark could never be! But if you’re going give it to Shinx… it’s important that you know the limits of that move… when you can use it and when you shouldn’t.”

“Hmm… seems like the Oran Berry didn’t do much to help, did it?” Victor added thoughtfully. “Litten does too much damage with Flamethrower, and Shinx is just too fragile! Perhaps a Sitrus Berry might be a better choice here!”

“A Sitrus Berry?” echoed Yuri. Eating one restored way more health than a mere Oran Berry.

“Yup!” said Victor. “Here, have one! Or more, if you want – I have loads of them with me right now! Give it to Litten! I think it can definitely use one! As for Shinx, I have this Max Revive here…”

 _Oh, so Litten managed to survive the Wild Charge after all. Which means…_ “Does this mean I lost?” Yuri blurted out.

“Hey! Umm… it’s just a practice match!” said Yuuri immediately. “Let’s not care so much about the results, okay?” 

Strangely, unlike the previous times they fought, Yuri did not feel any animosity for the Elite Four member at all. _I guess it’s technically not a loss if I’m beaten by my own Pokémon_ , he reasoned. If anything, he came out of this battle with a much clearer understanding of his Pokémon team, and how to better utilize his new and improved movesets. 

He walked up to Litten, plucked out a piece of the yellow Berry and gently placed it in the Pokémon’s mouth. “You did well too, Litten,” said Yuri, stroking its frizzled fur. “You took the Wild Charge like a champ.” 

At that gesture, Litten’s eyes popped wide open. All of a sudden, its body started to glow a dazzling white! The light grew brighter and brighter, more and more intense…

Yuri’s mouth was agape in shock. “What the hell???” he breathed. “It… it can’t be!” 

“Yurio!” exclaimed Victor, stars in his eyes. “You know what this means!”

“This is… this is the true effect of the Sitrus Berry!!!”

…

“No, no, no, Yurio! Your Litten! It’s evolving!”

To Yuri’s defense, it was the very first time in his entire life that he witnessed a Pokémon evolution. As the bright light waned, Yuri saw a brand new Pokémon in place of his starter, standing proudly on all fours. Gone were the cute little paws and stubby body. The new Pokémon was striped black and reddish-orange, with larger pointed ears, sharper claws, and fiercer yellow eyes that blazed with energy.

But he knew, he knew it was still his dear friend Litten, just much stronger, much, much tougher and much, much cooler than before! 

“Congratulations Yurio!” said Yuuri. “Your Litten evolved into Torracat!”

Yuri ran over to Torracat in sheer delight, giving it a massive pat on its back. “You did it! All your training paid off! You’ve gotten so much stronger, haven’t you?”

“Mwraaa!” purred Torracat in reply, the bell on its neck chiming in soft tunes as it nodded in glee.

“This definitely calls for a celebration!” declared Victor. “And what better way to celebrate… than a feast of Poké Puffs! So come on! Off to the Poké Mart we go!”

\---

 

They were sitting on a bench by a lamppost in the heart of Dortmund City, gazing happily at Yuri’s three Pokémon. Torracat, Wimpod and Shinx were busy guzzling down a huge platter of premium Poké Puffs in every flavor, in every color of the rainbow.

“Your Pokémon sure have great appetites, Yurio,” mused Yuuri. “Looks like they want a second serving!”

“A second serving?” yelped Yuri. “Guys, that’s too much for one day! Jeez, are Poké Puffs really that delicious?” 

“Oh come on, don’t be a spoilsport, let them eat!” sang Victor. “After such a grueling morning of training and battling, they must be famished! And they deserve every bit of their treat!”

“I’m not a spoilsport –”

“Plus,” said Victor, ignoring the boy, “it’s not a bad idea to feed your Pokémon more Poké Puffs if they still have room in their stomachs!” He threw the boy a quizzical look. “Has this ever happened to you? Your Pokémon landing a surprise critical hit out of nowhere to secure you the battle? Or your Pokémon avoiding an attack, like it read your mind?”

“Y-yes…” murmured Yuri. “Multiple times, in fact.” The Gym Battle with Mila immediately came to his mind… the unforgettable showdown between Torracat (then Litten) and Tyrunt…

“Wow, really?” said Victor excitedly. “That’s brilliant! You’ve just entered the world of what I like to call ‘Affection’!”

“W-what?”

“When Trainers and Pokémon share an indestructible bond… when Trainers and Pokémon share the same burning drive to win… when the hearts and minds of Trainers and Pokémon become one and the same… that’s what Affection is all about!” the Champion explained. “With Affection, you and your Pokémon can create the most amazing miracles in battle! The ones I mentioned about just now are just the tip of the iceberg! If Affection is high, your Pokémon might cure itself of status conditions even without the use of items, or survive a lethal attack with only one hit point left! It’s a special stat that can turn the tides of the battle!” 

“So basically… it’s the power of friendship,” Yuri said flatly. “That’s the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard –”

“Ah, but did it help you win?” 

And Yuri had no choice to admit the truth. Had Torracat (then Litten) not dodged Tyrunt’s attack in time with his shout… had it not landed that clutch critical hit… Yuri would most likely still be back in Chrysler City, training for a rematch.

Sure, Yuri reckoned that there was nothing inherently bad with _feelings_ and stuff like that, but it was just extremely _embarrassing_ , and it totally went against Yuri’s image as a cool and calculated future Champion and master tactician…

But the fact was that it _did_ secure him the victory…

“Fine,” relented Yuri. “Then tell me. What must I do to increase this so-called ‘Affection’ stat?”

“Well, you’ve got the first part down,” replied Victor with a shrug. “Poké Puffs and frequent pets are great ways to make your Pokémon love you!”

“So you mean… I’ve been showing my Pokémon Affection all this time and I’m not aware of it?” 

“Exactly!” giggled Victor. “And it’s really obvious that your Pokémon all adore you a lot, Yurio!”

Yuri did not know what to say in response. _Victor said my Pokémon adore me_ , he mused, that single thought radiating so much warmth and comfort inside him, somehow. _My Pokémon adore me. Why do I feel so… happy, knowing that?_

 _Maybe it’s because we love our Pokémon a lot too,_ said Yuri’s voice of reason, _and when these feelings are reciprocated, it gives us great joy. To love someone with all your heart and be loved in return… that’s the most wonderful feeling, isn’t it? It’s a feeling every living being yearns for throughout his entire life, be it human, or Pokémon…_

 _Where in the world did you get that idea? No, the most wonderful feeling is winning all our battles and becoming the freaking Champion. Just shut up and stop being cheesy._

“What’s the second part?” asked Yuri, desperate to drown out that embarrassing voice in his head.

“Well, it’s something more subtle,” said Yuuri. “Caring and grooming! If you think your Pokémon are fine after getting healed up at the Pokémon Centre, or with some Potions after every battle… well, you’re right! But if you take the extra step in fixing them up, brushing off any sand and mud that got stuck on their bodies, wiping away dripping water from a particularly nasty Hydro Pump… your Pokémon will reward you with more Affection! Here! Let me demonstrate!” 

Yuuri took out a Togekiss-shaped comb from his bag and started brushing Torracat’s fur in soft, gentle strokes. “See? Its fur was all messed up from the battle just now. A simple combing can straighten it out and make it look neat and tidy again! Now you try!”

Yuri took the comb from Yuuri’s hands and did the same to Shinx’s fur, brushing away every trace of soot and grass. Then, he used a wet towel to wipe all three of his Pokémon squeaky clean, from all the dirt and mud and sand and gravel accumulated from all their adventures until now. It took him quite the time and effort.

When he was done, he could have sworn that he saw glistening sparkles emanating from his teammates. They looked completely refreshed. “Holy crap, you guys look amazing!” gushed Yuri, unable to contain his excitement. “Who knew Pokémon grooming was so important?”

“It definitely is!” Victor chimed in. “It’s one of my favorite parts of Pokémon training, really, to see my dear Pokémon all beautiful and dazzling out there in the battlefield! You should really invest in one of these grooming kits…”

“I know!” said Yuri. “Where do I get one?”

“They’re exclusive to the Grimmetts Department Store – or you can buy them from me!” 

“Huh,” smirked Yuri. “To think that the Champion is a part-time grooming kit salesman!” 

“No, Yurio, nothing like that!” chuckled Yuuri. “It’s part of a promotion, you see? They’ve launched a limited-edition Victor-version kit based on his Pokémon team because… well you know, Victor is Victor and all. Part of his deal with them is advertising his new product, so…”

“Right!” nodded Victor. “It’s just ₽50000 per kit! It’s ₽20000 more expensive than the regular kit but it’s so worth it, really! Like instead of a Tyranitar comb, you get one in the shape of my Togekiss! How awesome is that?”

Yuri would pick Tyranitar any day of the week. 

“Also, ₽50000 more and you’ll get your gorgeous and amazing kit signed by none other than me!” 

“Which idiot will pay extra for that?” snickered Yuri. 

“Umm… Yurio,” sighed Yuuri, “you have no idea…” 

Yuri’s jaw dropped in horror. “Please don’t tell me you’re one of them?”

“Ahh no… Victor signed mine for free, actually. In fact, I got my whole Victor-version kit for free, so…”

Yuri immediately realized the implications of this. “Then in that case… do you have an old kit?”

Yuuri’s eyes widened. “As a matter of fact, I do! You can have it if you want, Yurio!”

Victor’s face fell. “ _Yuuuuuuri_!” he whined. “Why did you do that?”

“Well, it’s pretty obvious that Yurio isn’t falling for your marketing tricks, Victor!” said Yuuri. “And besides… I don’t think he has that much money to spare, at the level he’s at…” 

 _Way to rub it in, asshole._ But it was true, unfortunately.

“Oh well!” sang Victor. “In any case, use your kit well, alright? Level up your Affection even more, and you might find these game-changing miracles happening more often than you thought!” 

“Sure, whatever,” mumbled Yuri.

“I mean it, Yurio,” said Victor. “Affection’s a legitimate aspect of Pokémon battling. A really important aspect of Pokémon training, in fact! And since it is, if you fail to take it into consideration when coming up with your strategies… then you’re not being very thorough, are you? If you think of Affection as a part of your battle plan, instead of some separate illogical emotion… then it’ll be wise if you tap on it ever so often, no?”

“I… guess?” 

“If it helps you to win, why not use it, right? Isn’t this your modus operandi so far? So why not develop it, and incorporate it in your matches, too? And really, Yurio, there’s nothing cheesy about genuine bonds between different individuals; there’s nothing wrong with expressing your love wholeheartedly, and wishing to be loved in return!”

“I guess there isn’t,” Yuri reluctantly admitted. 

“And you know what? I really want to see it from you too,” grinned Victor. “Show me the love you share with your Pokémon, Yurio! Show the world what exactly you are made of, as a true Pokémon Trainer!”


	14. Fear Me, Your Future Champion!

They passed by the Dortmund City Gym on their way to breakfast the next day and much to Yuri’s surprise, the heavy metallic doors, which were once bolted shut, were now wide open and welcoming. There was even a sign outside that had the letters O, P, E, and N on it. It could not get any more blatant than that.

To Yuri, that meant only one thing.

“I guess today’s the day I finally get my second Gym Badge,” grinned the blonde boy. He pounded his fist on the door to his right.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

“Umm… Yurio, that’s a little too loud, don’t you think?” winced Yuuri.

“That’s the whole point, idiot!” said Yuri. “It’s supposed to announce my arrival! Tell the Gym Leader that I’m here to kick his ass!”

“Right… but that’s going to wake the whole entire city!”

“Oh, come on Yuuri, you can’t blame Yurio!” said Victor. “Look at him! He’s raring to go! He can’t contain his excitement! And neither can I, actually! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him!”

“I guess you’re right,” giggled Yuuri. “After getting to know Torracat and the others… it really does feel like they’re our Pokémon too, doesn’t it? I’m excited to see how they’ll perform, especially after our special training!” 

“Wait,” gawked Yuri. “You guys will be watching me?”

“Of course!” said Victor, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “There’s no way we’re going to miss out on such an important event! Plus, how on earth could you go into a Gym Battle without your very own cheer squad? You know, for moral support?”

“W-what the hell?” Yuri sputtered. “You two? My… cheer squad?”

“Yup!” grinned Victor. “The best you’ll ever have! We’ll definitely be rooting for you all the way!”

\---

 

A few minutes later, a boy answered the door. He was shorter than Yuri, but seemed to be a little older, perhaps around sixteen or seventeen years of age. The first thing Yuri noticed was his spiky golden hair that flared out in all directions, along with a tuft of dyed red hair for a fringe. Yuri was immediately reminded of the mane of a Pyroar… except his had much more gold, and much less red.

“Oh hey! You must be Yuri Plisetsky!” the boy greeted cheerfully. “I’m Kenjiro, the Gym Leader of this City! Guang-Hong told me you were coming – oh my god it’s Elite Four Yuuri.”

“H-huh?” The Elite Four member was taken aback at the sudden mention of his name.

“Oh. My. God!” Kenjiro squealed, his hazel eyes sparkling like a million topazes. “It really is you! Wow! I can’t believe it! I used to be such a huge fan!”

“Ah! Umm… well, thanks!” said Yuuri, a bit flustered.

“He said he ‘used to’ though,” Yuri pointed out.

“D-don’t get me wrong!” Kenjiro said frantically. “I still think Yuuri’s a pretty cool Trainer! A really cool Trainer, actually! One of the coolest Trainers in the world, who am I kidding! It’s just that… I shouldn’t be admiring him so _fervently_ , you know what I’m saying?”

“I agree!” said Victor, nodding firmly. “It’s best if you stopped chasing after Yuuri!” 

… 

“What,” said Yuri.           

“W-w-what???” squeaked Yuuri, his face flushed like a Tamato Berry.

“What?” said Victor with an innocent shrug. “Since Kenjiro here’s a Gym Leader, it’s best if he forges his own path in life, and stop chasing Yuuri’s shadow! Stop trying to become like someone else, is what I’m trying to say! A Gym Leader should always strive to find his own unique style of Pokémon training that best showcases his Gym and personality!”

“You’re right!” gushed Kenjiro, completely oblivious to… whatever the hell _that_ was. “You’re so right, Victor! That’s totally what I’m aiming for! Even so… to have Yuuri watch me in action today is such a great honor! Holy moly, I still can’t believe this is happening! I’m pumped to the max! I’m going to show you guys how cool and awesome my Pokémon and I can be!” 

“Hey, that’s my line!” said Yuri.

“Not anymore!” said Kenjiro, brimming with confidence. “There’s no way I’m going to lose in front of Yuuri!”

“And there’s no way in hell I’m going to lose a Gym challenge!”

Kenjiro led them into the battle arena. It was as standard as a battlefield could get, with flat, solid flooring and bleachers on both sides. “The Normal-type’s all about sticking to the basics,” said the Gym Leader, “but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be boring! I’m going to send out two of my best Pokémon, but you can go at me with whomever you’ve got! No matter what, I’m still going to beat you!” 

“We’ll see about that,” said Yuri, a smirk creeping onto his face.

Both battlers took their sides. Yuri’s second Gym Battle was about to begin.

“Good luck, Yurio!” shouted Victor from the bleachers. 

“All the best!” yelled Yuuri.

On display in full view was a medium-sized cloth banner, held up by Victor on one end and Yuuri on the other. The words _Go, Yurio, Go!_ were printed in large, bold font right smack dab in the middle, and the rest of the space was filled with drawings of Torracat, Wimpod, Shinx, and Yuri himself, which totally looked as if they had been doodled by a freaking three-year-old… or maybe just someone really bad at drawing. _So… is this what they meant by being the best cheer squad I’ll ever have?_ It was so corny, and so typical of Victor and Yuuri, really, and Yuri could totally just crawl into a hole and die. (Like seriously, ‘Yurio’? Couldn’t they use his actual name for once?) 

Still, Yuri could not resist the urge to smile at that gesture. He had to admit… that was really nice and thoughtful of those two. 

He would repay them by winning, of course. 

“Alright!” said Kenjiro. “Let’s get this show on the road! Go! Zangoose!”

The Gym Leader tossed an Ultra Ball into the air and out popped a white bipedal Pokémon with red markings, long ears, and a large, fluffy tail. It glared threateningly at Yuri, brandishing its sharp, black claws and Yuri knew instantly that it was definitely not a Pokémon to be trifled with.

“Go on, Wimpod, I know you can do it!” 

Knowing his Pokémon… it would be scared out of its wits, facing against such a fearsome opponent. But… that had all been in the past! The Wimpod today had survived a bout intense training with an Elite Four and a Champion, with an arsenal of new moves up its sleeve! It had absolutely nothing to fear anymore!

“Wimpod, Spikes!” 

“Zangoose, use Facade!”

The Turn Tail Pokémon immediately spewed out a layer of iron barbs all over Kenjiro’s side of the battlefield. Now whichever Pokémon Kenjiro decided to switch in would get weakened by the Spikes, making it much easier for Yuri to go for the kill. Zangoose, however, was unbothered by the set-up. Glowing a bright reddish orange, it lunged towards Wimpod, unsheathed its claws to full length, and delivered a huge slash onto Wimpod’s body, taking it to below half health! Yuri was stunned. Everything happened in a blink of an eye, and he could barely react. Fortunately, Wimpod was holding the Sitrus Berry, which restored it back to full health. Yuri still had this battle under control. 

“Wow, good move!” remarked Kenjiro. “But you’re not the only one with a held item! Zangoose, activate your Toxic Orb! Now we’re really getting started!”

Toxic Orb? Yuri was baffled beyond belief. That was an item that caused the user to become Badly Poisoned! Yuri was about to command a Toxic from Wimpod on his next turn but… it seemed that his opponent just did his job for him! After all, when a Pokémon became Badly Poisoned, it actually received increasing amounts of damage every turn. It was the deadliest of status conditions, and Yuri had experienced first hand how dangerous it could be. Only an idiot would let his Pokémon take unnecessary damage like that on purpose!

Yet… if anyone were an idiot… it wouldn’t be a Gym Leader, would it? Which meant that the Poison was… _necessary_ somehow, perhaps part of a strategy? But what sort of strategy involved Poison and Zangoose? Yuri immediately flipped open his Pokédex. Under Zangoose…

“Yurio!” shouted Yuuri from the stands. “Don’t let your guard down!”

…so apparently, Zangoose could have two Abilities: Immunity and Toxic Boost. And since this Zangoose just got Badly Poisoned, Immunity was out of the question, which meant that it had Toxic Boost… an Ability that increased the power of Physical Attacks by half when the user became afflicted with Poison…

And didn’t Zangoose use Facade just now? Yuri remembered all too clearly what that move did. Under normal circumstances, Facade had a base power of 70. But under the effects of a status condition, the base power would double to a whopping 140! And together with Normal-type STAB… 

Just how much damage could Zangoose output next turn?

Realization and horror struck Yuri at full force. There was no way Zangoose could be allowed to attack anymore!

“Wimpod, Waterfall!” ordered Yuri. At once, there was a low rumble in the arena… and all of a sudden, a huge wall of water came pummeling down onto Zangoose, pinning it firmly onto the ground. Under such incredible force, Zangoose could not move at all, no matter how hard it tried to get up! To add insult to injury, Wimpod rode the Waterfall all the way down, gaining velocity as it descended, culminating in a devastating tackle with all the weight of its body. 

“Good job, Wimpod, keep it up!” _Flinch Zangoose with Waterfall, stop it from moving, deal tons of damage in return, and let the Poison tick away at its health! That’s my answer to your stupid strategy!_

“You got lucky this time round!” exclaimed Kenjiro. “But there’s no way Zangoose is going to take another Flinch to the face! Facade, once more!”

“Waterfall!” yelled Yuri.

Wimpod unleashed another blast of crashing water, but to Yuri’s horror, Zangoose was already glowing orange, ready to take the hit at full force! It stood its ground as the Waterfall crashed all over it, and with a brutal slash of its razor-sharp claws, it sliced through the water like it was nothing, putting an abrupt end to Wimpod’s attack! The Turn Tail Pokémon was flung wildly into the air, but Zangoose did not let up. Using its strong legs, it leapt up high to the perfect position right beside Wimpod, delivering a final, fatal blow to Yuri’s first fighter.

A hundred to zero. Wimpod stood no chance.

“Gosh, that was vicious!” exclaimed Victor. “That’s the power of Toxic Boost for you!” 

Kenjiro immediately turned towards the bleachers. “Hey! Yuuri!” he called. “Did you see that? Isn’t my Zangoose amazing?” 

Yuuri smiled and nodded back.

“I told you I’ll show you something awesome!” said a beaming Kenjiro, emboldened by the recognition of the man who was purportedly once his idol. “Let’s keep this up, Zangoose!” 

“Zaaaan!” The Cat Furret Pokémon might have been badly Poisoned, but it seemed totally unfazed, its eyes reflecting unwavering determination. 

“It’s amazing how well Zangoose thrives in Poison,” remarked Victor. “Generation after generation of rivaling with Seviper must have caused it to develop that sort of capability.”

Yuri gritted his teeth, regretting every single one of his plans to rely on Waterfall’s pathetically low Flinch rate. Since that turned out to be a total disaster… the only way he could think of to deal with this pesky Zangoose was to outspeed it and put an end to it, before it wiped his entire team. Torracat, with its superior Speed stat, could most certainly do the job. After the bout with Wimpod, Zangoose had about a third of its health left. There was no way it survived a STAB Flamethrower from Torracat. 

So… that was Yuri’s plan. “Go on, Torracat! I know you can do it!”

“Zangoose!” said Kenjiro. “Take a Super Potion!” 

The Gym Leader’s Pokémon was immediately healed back up. Unfortunately, Flamethrower was not enough to take it down from full. It did, however, remove a huge chunk of health from Zangoose, which meant that Torracat could simply go for the kill next turn.

Kenjiro was impressed. “Holy moly! That was some good damage!”

“I know!” smirked Yuri. “Seems like Torracat’s the perfect answer to Zangoose! Are you going to waste another Super Potion? That’ll get you nowhere! Torracat will simply blast you down over and over again! Flamethrower!”

“Don’t get cocky!” Kenjiro replied. “Zangoose! Quick Attack!”

One moment, Zangoose was gone. The next moment, it reappeared right in front of Torracat, striking at it with its claws. Quick Attack – a priority move faster than the eye could trace! But like all priority moves, it did not deal too much damage, even with the help of Toxic Boost, and Torracat emerged from the attack alive and healthy. The Fire Cat Pokémon countered with a blazing stream of red-hot flames at its opponent, charring it to a crisp and fainting it.

“No! Zangoose!” shrieked Kenjiro.

Yuri heaved a huge sigh of relief. Thank god he managed to stop Zangoose’s rampage before it even began. Now the Gym Leader had only one Pokémon left, and he had two. Things were looking pretty good for him so far.

“Aww man!” whined Kenjiro. “Now you’re making me look bad! And in front of Yuuri too!”

“Hey! It’s not my fault if you lose!” Yuri snapped back.

“And here I am, thinking that only you get the hardcore fans, Victor,” sighed Yuuri.

“Ex-fan!” Victor corrected with a wink. “In any case, I wonder Kenjiro’s final Pokémon would be? No matter what, it needs to be an answer to Torracat, just like how Torracat was the answer to Zangoose!”

“And I have just the one!” said Kenjiro. “Go, Cinccino!”

The Pokémon that emerged from the Gym Leader’s Ultra Ball was gray and fluffy, with two round ears, as well as two long, white locks of fur on its head that reached its back. In a complete 360 twist from Zangoose, this Pokémon’s eyes were large and animated, giving a cute and naïve vibe to it. And already, its health was brought down to about four-fifths by Spikes.

Easy picking for the win? No, Yuri was not going to underestimate his opponent. “Torracat, give your best Flamethrower!” 

“Cinccino! Rock Blast!”

Torracat opened its mouth, ready to amp up the heat, but Cinccino was much faster. Its eyes glowed a deep orange and five large pieces of rocks materialized from within its fur. The Scarf Pokémon started grabbing the rocks and hurling them at Torracat with all its strength. One hit… two hits… and Torracat was already at half health!

_Alright Cinccino, it’s high time you stop now!_

But Cinccino continued its relentless assault! Three hits… four hits… five hits! Torracat fainted on the spot!

“Yes! We did it, Cinccino!” squealed Kenjiro. “I’ve always wanted to do that!”

Yuri’s jaw dropped. That was five hits in a row from a multi-hit move! All of a sudden, he was down to one Pokémon just like that! What were the odds? How unlucky could he get? Or rather, what kind of stupid luck did the Gym Leader have?

“Four years ago…” said Kenjiro.

"H-huh?"

“Four years ago… was my first time watching Yuuri in action. Coincidentally, it was also his TV debut and his very first battle as an Elite Four member! Elite Four Yuuri versus Ace Trainer Su! I can never, ever forget that match! His Greninja was so freaking cool! Water Shuriken! Bang! Bang! Bang! Hit five times! And Su’s Pokémon League journey ended before it could even take flight!”

“I remember that too, you know,” said Victor to Yuuri, as the latter blushed furiously from all the praise the Gym Leader was showering him.

Yuri rolled his eyes. “What’s your point in telling me this?” 

“I just wanted you to know how amazing Yuuri was!” gushed the Gym Leader. “Of course, I’m no longer the crazy supporter I once was…”

Yuri was beginning to have serious doubts about that statement…

“…but way back then, he really inspired me to grow stronger as a Trainer! I really, really wanted to be like him! But more importantly, I never noticed how cool multi-hit moves were until I saw what Greninja could do! Like, why throw one Water Shuriken when you could throw five? Why hit your opponent with one rock when you could hit it with five?”

“Umm… sorry to burst your bubble Kenjiro, but… Greninja doesn’t have Water Shuriken anymore,” said Yuuri. “It’s too inconsistent, you know?” 

“Precisely,” scoffed Yuri. “You merely got lucky just now. No way you’re going to hit my Pokémon all five times again.”

“Are you sure about that?” asked a grinning Victor.

Yuri was taken aback. What the hell was he talking about? The chance of a five-hit attack was less than 20%. It was even lower than the Flinch rate of Wimpod’s Waterfall! And Wimpod failed to land two in a row! It was simply not _probable_ … unless… unless… Cinccino had some sort of way… to raise the odds in its favor, somehow?

“That’s right! Skill Link!” said Kenjiro triumphantly. “Cinccino’s Ability that guarantees it all five strikes of a multi-hit move!”

So with the typical base 25 power for one hit, five confirmed hits would mean a flat 125 power for everything Cinccino could throw at Yuri! And the damage would only increase after factoring in STAB and super-effectiveness!

In other words… it was either dodge or die. Yuri’s Pokémon had been drilled repeatedly in the art of dodging… but if he were really honest, they still had a lot to work on! Yuri was starting to feel a sense of dread. Everything was going too wrong, way too fast!

“Go, Shinx!” shouted the boy, calling upon his final Pokémon. Shinx’s Intimidate lowered Cinccino’s Attack by one stage, which Yuri welcomed without hesitation, because any chance he could get to make Cinccino’s moves hurt less, he would take it. 

“Tail Slap, let’s go!” said Kenjiro.

“Get ready to dodge, Shinx!” said Yuri.

But it was useless. Cinccino unraveled its long, white tail, whipping Shinx in the face five solid times, taking it down to extreme critical! How much health did Shinx have left in it? It could not have been more than 10 hit points! That was way too close for comfort! 

Shinx ate the Sitrus Berry it was holding, but that only restored it back to half. Yuri could feel his heart thumping in his mouth. Shinx was not going to survive another attack from Cinccino. He needed to think of a plan, fast!

“Thunder Wave!” commanded Yuri. _Knock its Speed down a peg, maybe stop it from moving from time to time, so that we actually have a shot at surviving! And then… and then we’ll see where to go from there!_  

Shinx released a bolt of crackling electricity from its paws, but Cinccino turned around in one swift motion and absorbed the Thunder Wave full on with its tail! That completely negated Shinx’s attack altogether!

“Awesome!” cheered the Gym Leader. “Cinccino can repel electric moves especially well, thanks to the special oil on its white fur! And when Thunder Wave already has a pretty low Accuracy in the first place… well, good luck hitting that!”

“I don’t care!” retorted Yuri. “Thunder Wave again! Aim for the gray fur!”

“Tail Slap!”

On hindsight, Yuri should have healed Shinx to full with a Super Potion for the much safer play, but fortunately for him, Shinx managed to dodge Cinccino’s attack this time round. The Flash Pokémon grabbed onto Cinccino’s tail, pressed a paw directly onto its gray body, and unleashed a Thunder Wave, finally Paralyzing it.

Yuri immediately took out a Super Potion from his bag and sprayed it on Shinx, but Cinccino unleashed another barrage of Tail Slap, brining Shinx down to extreme critical yet again. And Yuri found himself on the wrong end of the situation just now with Zangoose. No matter how much he healed, he was going to end up one hit away from death. His best bet would be praying really hard for Shinx to dodge Cinccino’s next move, or for the Paralysis to kick in… 

…but how viable was that strategy, really? How far could he go until his stash of Super Potions ran out? And what about attacking the opponent? Yuri doubted one Wild Charge would be enough to take Cinccino down; he needed to decrease Cinccino’s Defense with Leer before the move could actually deal significant damage. Plus, after recoil damage, Cinccino’s next Tail Slap could definitely faint Shinx in one shot. 

He relied too heavily on chance during his first Gym battle with Mila, and he really did not want to do that anymore this time round! Cinccino would just make a comeback next turn and it would be the same cycle all over again. He needed to find a surefire way to win!

Shinx was a lost cause. Yuri decided to use a Revive on Wimpod. Wimpod had sustain each turn with Leech Life. Wimpod could heal back the damage…

“Finish it, Cinccino!” said Kenjiro. “Tail Slap!” 

A single hit from Cinccino, and Shinx was down. Yuri gripped the Poké Ball in his hand. It was all up to Wimpod now.

“Go, Wimpod! Leech Life!”

Wimpod latched onto Cinccino’s head and commenced its attack. Shimmering green orbs of health erupted from Cinccino’s body, which Wimpod readily absorbed. Now Wimpod was back up to about three-quarters of its health. Cinccino tried to shake Wimpod off… but a sudden jolt of electricity shot through its spine! The Scarf Pokémon fell to its knees, rendered utterly helpless under the effects of Paralysis.

“Eek!” shrieked Kenjiro. “Cinccino, are you okay?”

“Again, Wimpod!” said Yuri “Leech Life!”

Another life-draining attack from Wimpod and Cinccino’s health was finally taken down to about a quarter. But Cinccino was holding the Sitrus Berry, which it immediately ate, restoring it back up to a little below full. Which meant that all of Yuri's efforts just now at trying to damage Cinccino had all been in vain. _But_ _I shouldn’t panic now,_ thought Yuri, _I still have the upper hand. Wimpod can do this all over again. Wimpod can sustain through this. One more Leech Life and Wimpod’s back to full health. Or… I can use the next turn to Revive Shinx or Torracat, in case Rock Blast kills Wimpod in one shot…_

…

_…it’s going to kill Wimpod in one shot, isn’t it?_

And Yuri felt like screaming again. Curse his stupidity! How could anyone be so dumb? How the hell did he completely forget how squishy Wimpod was? Who cared about sustain if Wimpod’s paper Defense could not even hold up in the first place???

 _AHHHHHHH!!!_  

“Cinccino!” exclaimed Kenijro. “Rock Blast!”

 _This is it! This is the end!_

_No, wait… I still have one more last chance!_

“Wimpod!” yelled Yuri, sheer desperation coursing through his entire body. “DODGE, OR DIE!!!” 

The first rock came hurling towards Wimpod… but the Turn Tail Pokémon, perking up its senses, scuttled out of the way in the nick of time! Yuri’s knees gave way there and then. He had never felt more relieved in his life.

Twice in this battle he came close to outright losing… and that was two times too many. Twice in this battle a clutch dodge saved him. How long more until he got defeated by his own carelessness? How long more could his Pokémon keep this up? How long more until they became completely overwhelmed by that stupid Cinccino and its stupid, stupid Skill Link?

“Go! Go! Let’s go! Let’s go, Yurio!” yelled Victor from the bleachers. 

“Go! Go! Let’s go! Let’s go, Yurio!” echoed Yuuri.

“What the hell???” Yuri did not know whether to laugh or cry or die from embarrassment. “Did you just… make that cheer up on the spot?”

“Nope!” said Victor. “We made it up yesterday!”

“And you think that’s going to help my situation???” 

“Well, it’s all part and parcel of moral support from your cheer squad!” grinned Yuuri. “We just wanted to remind you that you still have a shot at winning! So please don’t give up!”

“Remember what your Pokémon can do!” said Victor. “Remember their strengths and weaknesses! Every little detail counts! It’s not over yet!”

_So, if an Elite Four and a Champion say that we’re still in it… it must be true, right?_

_But of course! It’s not over yet! It’s never over until all our Pokémon faint!_

Yuri’s best and only option was to Revive someone. _Strengths and weaknesses, huh?_ He could go with Torracat, his ace and his strongest battler, with its strong Flamethrower that might or might not knock Cinccino out in one hit… yet like Wimpod, it would fall to a single Rock Blast… 

…or he could go with Shinx, with the Leer-Wild Charge combo… but Shinx _did_ survive a Tail Slap, and with its Ability, it could…

…

And everything dawned on Yuri. Of course! Why didn’t he see it sooner?

This was it! His surefire path to victory!

“Shinx, take a Revive!” 

“Cinccino!” said Kenjiro. “Rock Blast, full force!”

Five large rocks crashed into Wimpod, fainting it immediately. Yuri called out his Shinx without hesitation, and with Intimidate, Cinccino’s Attack was now two stages lower.

“Now Torracat, take a Revive!” 

“Cinccino! Tail Slap!” 

Shinx was never going to survive a Tail Slap from half health. Yuri called upon his Torracat, which died yet again to a Rock Blast from Cinccino, but that was okay, because Yuri had used a Revive on Shinx on that turn, which meant that he was still able to keep on fighting! Yuri blamed his nerves for not figuring it out until now, but his plan was simple: every time he switched Shinx in, Indimidate would lower Cinccino’s Attack by one stage. He would Revive his Pokémon again and again so that Shinx could come into battle repeatedly with Intimidate… which meant that Tail Slap would deal increasingly less damage… until the point when it was safe for his Pokémon to stay in and attack Cinccino with everything they got! 

So it turned out… that the best offense was indeed a good defense… and the best defense, with all his Pokémon being so damned squishy, was none other than to first and foremost, mitigate the opponent’s offense!

Intimidate after Intimidate after Intimidate… _That’s right, you measly Cinccino! Fear my Shinx! Fear me, your future Champion!_ So, was Cinccino primed for the kill after three stages of lowered Attack? _Yes,_ Yuri decided, _yes it is._ _It’s time we end this, once and for all!_

“Shinx, take a Super Potion!”

“Cinccino! Tail Slap!” 

This was it! The moment of truth! Five square hits of Tail Slap… and Shinx had _more_ than half health left!

“Yurio did it!” gasped Victor. “The next Tail Slap from Cinccino would take Shinx to critical, but it definitely wouldn’t kill! It’s safe for him to set up for the counterattack! Now all Shinx needs to do is to survive the recoil damage from Wild Charge in order to win! And you know what, Yuuri? I think it most definitely can!” 

“Leer!” ordered Yuri. Set up, complete. Cinccino’s Defense was now compromised, ready for one clean shot with Wild Charge! “Brace yourself Shinx,” said Yuri. “We’re going to survive this next Tail Slap, and pay it back a million fold!”

Cinccino tried to attack… but the effects of Paralysis kicked in yet again! The Scarf Pokémon could not move at all! 

He had the aspect of certainty in his strategy; he did not _need_ that stroke of luck. But when it still came shining down in the end… man, did it feel good. “Well, that makes things a lot easier,” smirked Yuri. “Shinx! Finish it with Wild Charge!”

The Flash Pokémon rammed its supercharged body onto Cinccino with all its might, blasting it with sparking blue high-voltage electricity, killing it in a single explosive hit. At the end of it all… Shinx was the last one standing, with half health left in it even after the recoil.

Victor and Yuuri threw each other excited glances.

“All right! They did it!”

\---

 

They were right outside the Dortmund City Gym, saying their last farewells to the Gym Leader Kenjiro. Yuri’s Regular Badge gleamed brightly in his badge case alongside his Marble Badge, and once again, he could not help but marvel at how far he had come and how much he had grown as a Trainer. 

“Well, it’s good-bye for now!” said Kenjiro cheerfully. “I had a great time! Well, except the part about losing in front of Yuuri – I still can’t believe that totally happened! But other than that, it was a really fun match!” 

“Hey… don’t fret about it!” said Yuuri. “You performed really well, Kenjiro! That was a really exciting battle! I’m really glad to have inspired you, in one way or another. Honestly… I still can’t get over the fact that someone looked up to me so much!” 

“Oh wow!” gasped Kenjiro, stars in his eyes. “Really? T-thank you so much, Yuuri! This is the best day of my life!”

“You just lost to me,” said Yuri. 

“I know! But who cares? Yuuri noticed me!!!”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to stop idolizing Yuuri and create your own path?” Victor pointed out. 

“Yeah… I totally failed at that, didn’t I?” Kenjiro said sheepishly. “But I’ll keep trying! Today… after meeting Yuuri, I really do feel like I can finally put an end to that chapter of my life! And tomorrow is a brand new day! Yuri Plisetsky! I’m sure we’ll meet again! And when that day comes, I hope you’re ready for a new and improved me!”

“Likewise,” Yuri grinned back. “See you around.”

They waved good-bye as Kenjiro went back inside his Gym. 

“Wow, what a morning, huh?” mused Victor. “Anyway, we’re just in time for brunch! After that, we can head towards Grimmetts City for Yurio’s third Badge and…”

“Wait,” said Yuri. “What do you mean by ‘we’?” 

“Oh! Don’t you know?” said Victor, clapping his hands together. “Yuuri and I decided to tag along with you for the rest of your journey!” 

…

…

“WHAAAAAAAT???”

“D-don’t listen to him, Yurio!” said a flustered Yuuri. “We’re only going to stick with you until Jaune Town! We’re supposed to attend an event there, you see! So I thought that… well, all of us going together would be more fun… don’t you think?”

Yuri was surprisingly okay with that. He had gotten way too used to having those two around during the past few days in Dortmund. Whether it was a good thing or not remained to be seen. Still, a few more weeks… or months… would not hurt... right? 

There was one more issue though… 

“Just to clarify,” said Yuri, “and it’s not that I care a whole lot about your lives or anything – in fact, I couldn’t care less! But… are you two… dating, or something? Because you know I absolutely can’t stand that sort of lovey-dovey nonsense in front of me and I need to prepare myself for –”

“We aren’t!” shrieked Yuuri, his face redder than a Darmanitan on fire.

“We aren’t?” Victor asked innocently.

“WE ARE???” 

“Are we?”

“I… I d-d-don’t know! I mean, if you w-w-want to!”

“Then we are!” exclaimed Victor, throwing his arms around the Elite Four member. “Hooray! I’m dating Yuuri! This is the best day of my life!”

 _And that,_ Yuri groaned inwardly, _is exactly the sort of lovey-dovey nonsense I feared – and I totally brought this upon myself, didn’t I?_

So, all in all, Yuri left Dortmund City with a new Pokémon, new moves, a sparkling new Gym Badge, an Elite Four, a Champion, and their Pokémon. And he had a feeling his journey would only get better from here!

“Hurry up, slowpokes!” yelled the boy. “It’s about time we get a move on! Full speed ahead to Grimmetts City!”


	15. The Stuff Nightmares Were Made Of (Part I)

It was… a different experience, to say the least, traveling with Yuuri and Victor. Yuri blamed the Champion and his uncanny ability to be distracted by literally _everything_. 

_Oh! Is that a Roselia I see? That’s pretty rare around these parts! Let’s try finding it! Guys! I bet there’s a Kricketune in those bushes! Wow! This looks like a nice clearing! Why don’t we have a picnic? Look at that foliage! Isn’t it lovely? This looks like a nice photo spot! Let’s take a picture together! Now let’s take a picture of this tree! Now let’s take a picture of our food! Now let’s take a picture, but with us eating the food, right next to this tree!_

Based on his estimations, it would probably take Yuri around forty-five minutes or so on skates if he wanted to get directly from Dortmund to Grimmetts via Route 6, maybe a little over an hour if he factored in any Trainer battles, perhaps two hours if he wanted to explore the place and leave no stone unturned. Yet it had been _six freaking hours_ and they were nowhere near their destination. Yuri actually counted. Apparently, they spent two hours searching for a Roselia (they did not find it), two hours searching for a Kricketune (they did not find it either), and the last two hours just sitting on a mat and looking at plants and coming up with dumb poses for the camera (to be fair… those photos actually turned out pretty good). 

Fortunately for Yuri and his sanity (or… what was left of it anyway), nothing much had changed between Victor and Yuuri, despite their supposed ‘relationship upgrade’. Victor was still as coquettish as ever around Yuuri, and Yuuri was still the guy trying to calm him down a little, yet playing along with his crazy antics all the same. And Yuri had highly suspected, that during all those years that they were together, they had been ‘dating’ right from the very beginning, doing stuff that ordinary dating couples did, even though they were not officially ‘together’. Because that sort of love and caring was just so natural between those two, and there was no need to give a name to what they were to each other. Or… because they were just too dumb and too clueless when it came to romance, and if not for Yuri, the true genius and the hero of their love lives (seriously, they better treat him to ice cream or something), they would probably be stuck in that ambiguous mess of a relationship for the rest of their lives, dating without even being _aware_ that they were dating.

It was crazy how some people could be so damned good at Pokémon training but so damned stupid about everything else. Not that Yuri knew a whole lot about romance and stuff like that, but… come on! Those two were more obvious than a Ghost-type Pokémon exposed by Foresight! Of course, those were just random theories, pure speculation on his part, but… but why the hell was he thinking about stuff like that anyway???

Well, he _was_ getting kind of bored…

“If I remembered correctly, there’s a hill a few meters away!” said Victor. “We might be able to catch a good view of the sunset from up there!”

“And then we’re going to have a nice little picnic on the hill! Hooray!” said Yuri, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“That’s a great idea, Yurio!” Victor exclaimed. “You know, it’s nice to see you so enthusiastic! I was beginning to think you were getting kind of bored!”

 Yuri had a good mind to just outright strangle that man.

“Are you kidding me???” screeched the boy. “We just spent the afternoon doing absolutely nothing! No battles, no action, nothing! Yeah, sure, I’m totally not bored at all!”

“Sorry Yurio!” said Yuuri. “It’s just that… we thought you wouldn’t mind doing something more relaxing, to you know, take a break after that harsh Gym battle just now! I thought… the picnic was fun…” 

“Okay, I admit, it _was_ kind of fun!” said Yuri. “But who the hell takes a break for six whole freaking hours??? There’re so many things I ought to be doing right now! Like you know, training my Pokémon? Battling the Grimmetts Gym? Actually making progress?”

“Well, that’s one way to go about your journey,” said Victor. “But I feel that it’s also important that we slow down at times, and appreciate the beauty of everything around us! We should treasure every moment… the little things... the fleeting things… stuff that make our lives in this world worth living, no?”

“Easy for you to say,” retorted Yuri. “You’re already Champion! You’ve already accomplished everything a Trainer could ever dream of! Of course you could afford to slow down now! You’re not the one… who needs to make up for lost time!”

Victor gazed intently at the blonde boy, as if about to say something in return…

“Umm… guys?” interjected Yuuri. “Why don’t you two just compromise? Maybe we can watch the sunset… but not have the picnic, perhaps?”

There was a brief pause as the other two considered his words.

“Fine, whatever!” muttered Yuri. “Since we’re already here, anyway.”

“Alright!” said the Champion with a resigned smile. “Anything for my darling Yuuri!”

They climbed to the top of the hill and watched in wonder as the vermillion orb of a sun gradually sank beneath the horizon of trees, painting the twilight sky in pastel watercolor swirls of cherry pink and meringue yellow, as the very first stars of the night began to take center stage.

And Yuri had to admit… it was indeed beautiful.

\---

 

It was close to eight when they finally reached their destination. After checking into their hotel, the Elite Four and the Champion gave Yuri the rest of the evening to explore wherever he wanted, which he gladly agreed to without hesitation. Finally! Some freedom at last! So it was just him and his roller skates – and his Pokémon of course, alone together in this new and unfamiliar place. 

Grimmetts City… the central business metropolis of the Ibara Region. Everywhere Yuri looked he saw office buildings, and office buildings, and even more office buildings. Of course, some of the buildings did _not_ contain offices, and were much more pertinent to Trainers – like the Grimmetts City Gym, the Grimmetts Department Store, the Ibara TV Tower, and the Sunny Days Pokémon Grooming Parlor. And for some strange reason, cafés were really popular; there were at least two along every street. Maybe those Office Workers really needed their morning coffee. Yuri could never understand why people would choose to stay cooped up in their office all day, when they could be out there traveling the region and battling with Pokémon instead… but each to their own, he guessed.

The boy had never been to cafés before, and he had a good mind to check them out – he was starting to feel hungry and they seemed interesting enough (well, way more interesting than offices, at least). Some cafés even had distinct concepts to stand out from the rest of their competition. One revolved around reading, where people could enjoy a good book with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Another was Pikachu-themed, from the shopfront, to the chairs and tables, to the menu items. Even the waitstaff were Pikachu, specially trained to take orders and serve food. Yuri was neither a fan of books, nor the color yellow, so he gave those two a pass.

It was okay though, he still had like, a hundred more cafés to choose from. It seemed like there was a café for everyone. 

Keeping his eyes peeled, he skated past an alleyway… and did a double take when he saw a faded black signboard with the words, _The Daily Grind_ , written in white chalk, followed by an arrow pointing to the right. A quaint, hard-to-find café tucked in the corner of a secluded alleyway, away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city… now that was a concept Yuri could totally get behind. He pushed the door open and stepped inside…

…staring right at him were thirty or so redheads, wearing red-and-black vests, with identical red-and-black masks on their faces. 

_Shit!_  

His brain was screaming, yelling, shrieking at him, to run far, far, away, and just get the hell out of there right now! But his legs were completely frozen… and the next thing he knew, there was a sharp pain at the back of his skull and everything went black.

\---

 

Yuri Plisetsky woke up with a start. He found himself in an empty room, surrounded by white walls on all sides. His head was throbbing, he was bound to a plastic chair, and he had no freaking idea where he was. One moment, he was entering a café, and then…

And then things just went absolutely haywire from there. Of all the one hundred or so cafés in Grimmetts City, he just had to choose the one with Crimson Society in it!

_Those stupid bastards! How dare they do this to me? I’m going to destroy them all! They’ll regret all the times they ever tried to cross Yuri Plisetsky!!!_

Still… that unsettling scene just now… with all those creepy masks staring straight into his soul… Yuri thought he was going to die there and then, like a foolish little Wurmple who had accidentally wandered into a Galvantula’s deadly Spider Web without even suspecting a thing. He had to admit… that had been _scary_. He had never seen so many enemies gathered in one place before. It was _exactly_ the stuff nightmares were made of!

And the reason why those Crimson Society Grunts were gathered in that café in the first place… surely, it was not just about coffee. They must have been in the midst of some sort of secret Society meeting… and Yuri must have intruded into something really important. And now… they were going to make him pay the price! Of course, he did not manage to catch a single thing they had been supposedly saying, but it was not like Crimson Society, which ravaged entire cities in the past just for the hell of it, would care about silly details like… fairness in punishment. He did not know what exactly they would do to him, but one thing was for sure – he needed to find a way to get out of this predicament as soon as possible.

And then destroy them all.

Yuri’s first instinct was to struggle and struggle with pure brute force, and just get those stupid ropes off his wrists and ankles. But they were tied way too tightly, and the more he trashed about, the more the rope chafed his skin and hurt him, so that was an utter failure of a plan. He needed something sharp to cut those ropes… like Torracat’s claws!

He could still feel his Poké Balls in the pocket of his jeans, pressing against his thigh. On that note, he had no idea where his _bag_ went, which was actually a really huge deal, because all his essentials were in there – his Trainer Card, his badge case, his Xtransceiver, his cash and items, among others – but that was not his main priority right now. His wrists were tied to the back of his chair, so there was no way he could call upon his Pokémon using the traditional way of grabbing and throwing his Poké Balls… but if he shifted to the right of his seat a little and knocked his thigh repeatedly against the armrest, the force might be able to push his Poké Balls out of his pocket and onto the floor, triggering the release mechanism. With the help of his Pokémon, he would be able to get out of this place in no time at all.

Or… he could wait for those Crimson Society bastards to come to him, _and_ _then_ call upon his Pokémon to attack all of them as sweet, sweet payback. He could even take this one step further and pretend to still be unconscious, so that there might be a chance that they would talk freely in front of him, and he could gather some vital information from them. _Yes, that sounds like a really good plan. Who’s the helpless victim now, huh? That’ll teach them not to screw with me!_

So Yuri closed his eyes, made his body seem all limp and lifeless, sat very still, and waited. 

…

…

_God, this is torture! Will they just come to me already?_

… 

_Hold on… footsteps?_  

…

_Yes, those are definitely footsteps. Time for your doom, assholes!_

He heard the door creak open.

“Good!” said a strangely familiar voice. “He’s still out cold! That’s for Crystalline Cave, stupid brat!”

“Don’t be like that,” said a raspy, unfamiliar voice. “That kid’s strong. And strength is power. Strength should be respected. You need to respect him.”          

“He was just lucky,” grumbled the first voice. 

“No,” said the second voice. “You’re just weak. You know the Red Phantom did not tolerate weakness.”

“Ah! I’ve… failed the Phantom! I’m… sorry! ”

“You better be. Yet always remember this: some people are weaker. Some people are stronger. That’s how the world is. But no matter what, the Red Phantom is still the strongest of them all. This kid is nothing compared to him. And very soon, he’ll realize that, and he’ll willingly give his life to the Phantom. And eventually, the whole world will do the same!” 

“Yes!” exclaimed the first voice. “Of course! For no one is as great and powerful as the almighty Red Phantom! With him by our side we have nothing to fear! Praise the god ruler! Praise the Red Phantom!”

“Praise the Red Phantom!” chorused about four or so other voices.

“Looks like everything’s ready,” said a female voice. “Let’s begin.”        

“Oh, Scarlet Rose is going to be so pleased with us!”

_Okay… what the hell is happening?_ Yuri’s mind was completely boggled. First, there was a Red Phantom… now a Scarlet Rose? Those terms made absolutely no sense to him! There could have been some important information hidden between the lines… but what use was information without context? Plus, that conversation felt like it had come straight out from a freaking cult textbook. It was… disturbing, to say the least.

But that was not the pressing issue here.

‘Begin’? Begin with what, exactly? The… torture? Well, they _did_ say something about him giving up his life, which meant… they were really going to… murder him??? Yuri was starting to panic. How did secret societies deal with intruders again?

Amidst all that talk, Yuri could also make out sounds of shuffling and dragging of what seemed to be… some sort of heavy equipment. Some sort of… machine?

Murder… machine? An electric chair? A freaking guillotine???

Yuri cursed himself for having such macabre thoughts yet again.

_If we’re going to open our eyes… now’s a really good time!!!_

Yuri blinked his eyes open – and the first thing he saw was a masked Grunt with a long black pole in his hands, swinging it like a baseball bat directly at his stomach…!

He leaned to his right, toppling over the chair with him still tied to it. The pole missed him completely, but the impact of falling hurt like hell… but that had also caused all three of his Poké Balls to roll out of his pocket and hit the floor…

“What the shit???” yelled the Grunts in shock.

…out popped Torracat, Shinx, and Wimpod, poised and ready for battle…! 

“Wimpod, Waterfall!” commanded Yuri. “Plow them down!”

The Turn Tail Pokémon conjured up a huge wall of water behind it as it sped towards the Grunts with sheer determination… meanwhile, Torracat and Shinx were working at his ropes, slashing and chewing at them like there was no tomorrow, and at once, he was free!

_And all you Crimson Society assholes are going to hell!_

Yuri stood up and scanned his surroundings. There were five Grunts in total, just like Yuri had guessed, and it looked like Wimpod had managed to take down three of them. The remaining two had called upon their Pokémon in response – a party of Poochyena, Drowzee, Grimer…

…and standing tall in the middle of them all, a Hypno, a yellow bipedal Pokémon with a large nose and a pendulum in its hand. And Wimpod… poor Wimpod lay whimpering at its feet, completely battered and bruised.

“Come back, Wimpod!” said Yuri, as the Turn Tail Pokémon promptly scurried back to its Poké Ball, its Wimp Out Ability activated. “What did you bastards do to it?” 

“Oh, just a Headbutt or two,” said a Grunt, shrugging nonchalantly. “And a Poison Gas for good measure. So, are you next?”

“Not a chance!” growled Yuri. “Torracat, Flamethrower! Shinx, Wild Charge!”

“Drowzee, Confusion!” 

“Poochyena, Assurance! Grimer, Poison Jab!”

The five Pokémon clashed at one another in a flurry of sparks, snarls, scratches and punches. Shinx and Torracat managed to take their opponents’ attacks in stride and dish out some good damage in return, eventually emerging victorious. 

But amidst all that chaos, Yuri and his Pokémon completely forgot about the main threat in the room – Hypno! With a Psybeam directly to the chest, Torracat, caught off guard, was rendered severely injured!

“No!” Yuri screamed, as his partner let out a shrill wail of agony. “Oh, you’re in for it, Hypno! Torracat! Get up and use Bite!”

The Fire Cat Pokémon scrambled back onto its feet… but instead of attacking its opponent, it started ramming its head repeatedly onto the wall beside it! That was the side effect of Psybeam – Confusion!

“Stop it, Torracat!” gasped Yuri. “You’re going to hurt yourself even more!” 

“Now, Hypno!” ordered the Crimson Society Grunt, his attacks unrelenting. “Hypnosis onto the boy!”

_Don’t look at its pendulum at all costs!_ shrieked Yuri’s voice of reason. _If we fall asleep, there’ll be no one to give orders to our Pokémon, and those bastards would wipe them out in one fell swoop! And we can say good-bye to our chances at escaping!_  

Without a second’s hesitation, Yuri grabbed Torracat from its impending self-destruction and lifted it right in front of his face. The dizzying waves of Hypnosis hit Torracat head on, and the Fire Cat Pokémon fell asleep immediately. Yuri was spared. _Sorry Torracat! It’s for the greater good! At the very least, it’ll put a temporary stop to your Confusion!_

“Now, Shinx!” yelled the boy. “Our chance! Wild Charge!

“Hypno! Hypnosis!” 

“Dodge, and use Wild Charge again!”

The Flash Pokémon moved like a well-oiled machine. Its first Wild Charge took Hypno to a little below half. Then, as its opponent responded with another bout of Hypnosis, it jumped into the air to avoid the crippling blast, landed behind its opponent and launched a second lethal Wild Charge from the back, blue sparks flying everywhere. Hyno collapsed to the ground, and Yuri wasted no time at all. He recalled Shinx and Torracat, made a mad dash to the door, twisted open the doorknob, burst out of the room, slammed the door shut, and skated as fast as he could away from that crazy place, praying feverntly that the remaining Crimson Society Grunts were too distracted by their fainted Pokémon to give chase.

\---

 

He was skating down a really, really long corridor, with rows and rows of doors on both sides, but none of them looked remotely like an exit. Deep down, he knew that he was still not out of trouble yet. He had no freaking clue where he was exactly, and there was no escape route in sight – all he knew was that he was deep in enemy territory, and it was suspiciously empty and quiet, and the probability of an ambush was sky-high and increasing every second.

Yuri would never run away from a battle, or an opportunity to foil Crimson Society’s plans, but above all, he knew his limits and his Pokémon’s. After the first part of his getaway stint and the battle with Hypno and gang, none of his Pokémon were in good shape. Wimpod was Poisoned, with only a third of its health left, and Torracat was Asleep, with a little below half health. The only Pokémon he had in fighting condition – and even that was debatable – was Shinx, with no status conditions and three-quarters of its health left. Hopefully – and he really hoped with all his heart – there was no ambush, it was just his paranoia speaking, and he was going get out of this hellhole just fine.

He turned a corner, and saw a group of ten or so Grunts marching towards him, creepy masks and all… 

_Shit!_  

He spun around immediately and sped back the way he came from… and came face to face with yet another group of ten or so Grunts.

_Shit!!!_

So there he was, trapped in the middle of a long corridor, severely outnumbered by enemies on both ends, with most of his Pokémon close to fainting.

Shinx could never take on all these Grunts alone. Wimpod and Torracat would just flat out lose. Yuri could not think of any other course of action he could take… so he opened a random door, slipped into the tiny room it led to, and locked the door shut behind him.

_And how’s that going to work???_ screamed his voice of reason. _We’re still trapped with only one exit – and you bet those Grunts are surrounding it! They’re going to kill us once they find their way in!_

_The door is made of hard metal. It’s going to take a while before they break it down and get to us –_

_It’s their door, idiot!!! In their compound!!! If anyone has the key, it’s going to be them!!!_

_…_

_Shit!!!!!!_

Yuri searched the room frantically for a weapon, anything he could get his hands on, anything he could use to defend himself against those assholes. It was the easiest search he ever performed, because the room was totally empty!!!

Yuri felt like tearing out all his hair in frustration. What was the point of a room if there was not going to be anything in it???

It was then that he noticed a peculiar floor tile in the corner. It was green instead of the usual white, and for some reason, it was glowing…?

Yuri took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut, and stepped on it. There was a rush of inexplicable sensations… and when he opened his eyes, he could not believe what he was seeing.

He was in the city… in front of a large building… and there were people… and Pokémon… that did _not_ belong to Crimson Society… and they were walking along the streets… talking to one another… going about their normal daily lives…

How did he get from ‘screwed by Crimson Society’ to… right before the Grimmetts Department Store??? 

“What… the… hell?” Yuri blurted out.

“…I should be asking you that,” said an annoyed voice from below.

Yuri glanced down and to his utter shock, he saw Otabek Altin, of all people! He was scrunched down on the ground, rubbing his bruised forehead. 

“You appeared out of nowhere,” continued Otabek, getting back up to his feet, “and crashed into me. Again.”

Yuri was dumbfounded. It seemed like that particular tile he stepped on was some sort of… warp panel. And by a stroke of luck, he was teleported to safety. And somehow, for some reason, those Crimson Society Grunts did not bother to follow him.

“Aren’t you going to apologize to me?” said Otabek. “Or are we going to have to battle it out again?”

“Sorry,” said Yuri, his mind working on autopilot, still unable to comprehend what had happened to him just now.

“Huh, that’s surprisingly easy,” said Otabek, raising an eyebrow. “I was hoping we battled, actually… because we’re rivals now, aren’t we?”

“Right…” murmured Yuri. 

“Say, why don’t we battle anyway?” said Otabek. “It’s been a while. Let’s test our skills.”

And at once, Yuri’s mind snapped back into focus. “Wait. NOW???” 

“Yeah, now. Go, Golbat!” A large blue Bat Pokémon with purple wings and a gigantic mouth emerged from Otabek’s Poké Ball, baring its sharp fangs.

Yuri’s jaw dropped. 

“What’s wrong?” said Otabek. 

_Gee, Otabek! Let’s see: I just narrowly escaped being murdered by Crimson Society, my Pokémon are practically out of commission, and my bag and items are god-knows-where. And now you want to battle me? And you’re asking me WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH MY LIFE???_

If he had to choose between battling twenty Crimson Society Grunts or a single Otabek Altin… 

…well, Yuri was surprised that he even had to think about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last-minute end note???  
> I'll be out of the country for a couple of weeks... and the next chapter is only halfway done. So... the next update will only be out in June... ><  
> Sorry for the inconvenience... but in any case, I hope you don't forget about this story! If you do, Yurio will be sad... and mad... and that's going to end really bad (for you). So yeah... don't make him angry! You wouldn't like him when he's angry.  
> Once again, if you enjoyed reading this story somehow, thank you so much! <3


	16. The Stuff Nightmares Were Made Of (Part II)

There he was, Yuri Plisetsky, back in Grimmetts City, wondering how in the world did his day go so wrong.

The boy had been looking forward to the day he crossed swords with his rival again; he had never really gotten over that disastrous first Pokémon battle, and he really wanted to settle this score so damn badly. But… right now? Talk about unfortunate timing! He just barely escaped from being killed by a crazy cult. And that was literally mere _seconds_ ago. He was definitely not in the mood for all of this. And his Pokémon were definitely not in any condition to fight against _that_ sort of Trainer.

Yet… running away like a coward did not seem to sit well with him either.

“What’s wrong?” asked Otabek.

Yuri let out a sigh of frustration. “Hey, wait for me, alright? My Pokémon are not ready. I need to pop by the Pokémon Center for a bit.”

“Really?” said Otabek, raising an eyebrow. “That’s… disappointing. As a Trainer… as my _rival_ , you should always be prepared for an unexpected battle, you know.”

… 

And Yuri exploded.

“Okay, first of all, asshole, you think I don’t _want_ to be prepared? You don’t know what the hell I’ve been through! Second of all, 'disappointing'??? You think _I’m_ disappointing??? I’ll show you what’s disappointing! It’s your sorry ass after I defeat the crap out of you!!! Go! Shinx!”

The blue-and-yellow Flash Pokémon emerged from its Poké Ball with a determined growl, Intimidate activated. Shinx was not in the healthiest of states… but they were facing a Golbat on Otabek’s side, who had a type disadvantage against Shinx, so there was no actual need for Shinx to be too healthy in the first place… right? Defeating Golbat would be a piece of cake… right? 

 _But that’s what we thought about the Bulbasaur last time,_ said Yuri’s voice of reason. _Against a guy like Otabek, arrogance will only be our downfall. We need to be cautious. Also… about that outburst just now… didn’t we make a promise somewhere along the way to not get so triggered over every little thing?_

Yuri took a deep, calming breath. _Right. I must not let my anger consume me. This is a proper battle, with an opponent I have no business underestimating. I must not lose my head._

He was no longer the novice Trainer that lost because of his overconfidence. He had gotten a lot stronger and wiser since then. The outcome would not be the same as before! And he would make sure of it!

“Golbat, Poison Fang!” 

“Shinx, Thunder Wave!”

_Play it safe. One step at a time, just like we’ve always done. Golbat is fast and has pretty decent Attack, so Thunder Wave will make sure Shinx gets off a few more turns over it. We need to take as little damage as possible – because there’s no such option as healing back up this time round!_

Golbat swooped in for the kill at breakneck speed. As it sank its venom-drenched teeth into Shinx, the Flash Pokémon raised a sparking paw and swiped it at its wings, encasing them in a cage of electricity. Golbat crashed onto the ground, too numb to even move.

“Great job!” cheered Yuri. “Now Leer!”

Shinx’s attack went off without a hitch. Golbat’s Defense was lowered, and to top it off, the Bat Pokémon was still unable to shake off its debilitating Paralysis. _One Wild Charge and Golbat’s deader than dead. But… Shinx only has a third of its health after that Poison Fang! Is the recoil going to faint Shinx? Should I take this risk?_

Knowing Otabek… he would have known that a super-effective STAB Electric-type move would be coming for him next turn. The set-up to that finale was too obvious to any decent Trainer. And there was no way in hell he would _not_ have a counter play. 

“Golbat, switch out!” said Otabek. “Go, Ivysaur!” 

And there it was! A healthy Grass-type to resist Shinx’s incoming Electric-type attacks! Which was why…

“Shinx! Ice Fang!” A counter to Otabek’s counter play! And the beautiful thing was, the Ice-type move would work brilliantly against Golbat as well. It was a decision that could never go wrong no matter which Pokémon his opponent chose!

Ivysaur received the full brunt of the Ice Fang, but to Yuri’s dismay, the attack only managed to take it to a little above half health. Of course, Shinx did not receive STAB with Ice Fang, and there was also the fact that Ivysaur was probably Otabek’s ace, his evolved starter Bulbasaur, so it was highly likely that it would be a tougher opponent than Golbat. But this left Yuri in a tricky situation – because Ivysaur was still alive and definitely faster than Shinx, it would move first next turn and kill Shinx with its next attack! And with Shinx unable to battle, all Yuri had left was a poisoned Wimpod and a sleeping Torracat, and that was just not a predicament he wanted to find himself in. There was only one course of action left for him… 

“Shinx, switch out, come back!” said Yuri. “Go, Torracat!” 

The Poké Ball hit the ground and Torracat entered the battlefield snoozing like a log, purring contently with its heart and mind far away in dreamland.

“Ivysaur,” commanded Otabek. “Sleep… Powder?”

Magical greenish powder from the bud on Ivysaur’s back landed onto Torracat, and… that was it. Torracat was still fast asleep. It could not have gotten even more asleep. 

To Otabek’s credit, he correctly predicted the switch, and using Sleep Powder to scout out Yuri’s next move instead of attacking was a good decision on his part. Amusingly… it had not worked the way he expected.

“Huh,” remarked the older boy, a wry smile on his face. “You weren’t kidding when you said you weren’t ready back then. So let this be a lesson – Ivysaur! Sludge Bomb!”

“Torracat! Flamethrower!” yelled Yuri at the top of his lungs.

Yet Torracat did not budge one bit from its slumber, leaving it wide open to everything Ivysaur could throw at it! The bud on Ivysaur’s back spewed out globs and globs of purple sludge pellets at Torracat, burying the sleeping Pokémon in a sticky mountain of grime.

_Oh god, it’s déjà vu all over again._

An image flashed into Yuri’s mind, just then. There, lying on the grass, was a Litten, weak and whimpering, bruised and battered, getting attacked again and again by a Trainer in a scarf and his Bulbasaur. Their first battle. It was so long ago already… but for some reason, it was still too painful for Yuri to recall.

_Torracat… please wake up! You need to wake up! Don’t let this be the end of us!_

From beneath the sludge pile… there was a low, rumbling hiss… and the next thing Yuri knew, the temperature of the air around him started skyrocketing out of control! And Torracat… Torracat came through! The Fire Cat Pokémon was standing up on all four of its paws, its eyes wide open and blazing with all the might of an inferno. The sludge pellets around it had melted into liquid ooze, melted from the waves and waves of heat Torracat was emanating from every cell of its body. _What intensity!_ It was oppressive, utterly unbearable; it really felt as if Yuri could melt away too. 

“Flamethrower!!!”

It was unlike anything Yuri had ever seen. That cone of fire was humongous, way larger than Torracat’s two-feet-four body! Who knew Torracat was capable of that sort of power! And the flames were not the usual reddish-orange, but white-hot like the core of a supernova, with the edges tinged with a hint of blue. It was super-effective, and together with STAB, Ivysaur stood absolutely no chance at all! The Seed Pokémon collapsed instantly, charred beyond belief.

The pure shock on Otabek’s typically stoic face was priceless.

Well… Yuri was pretty shocked too. That was nothing short of _freaking amazing_.

There was a stunned silence between the both of them for a moment… before Otabek called upon his Golbat once again into the battlefield. Yuri gritted his teeth. Despite that crazy Flamethrower, Yuri was still not out of danger yet. Torracat’s health was still in the critical zone. One wrong move could very well end Yuri’s shot at victory. 

“Golbat, take a Full Heal!” said Otabek, spraying his Pokémon with the recovery item. With its Paralysis cured and its wings restored, Golbat was right back up flying in the air again.

“Torracat! Flamethrower!” ordered Yuri, as Torracat launched a second enormous cone of white flames, with the exact same explosive intensity. Golbat was completely overwhelmed by attack… but as the fire and smoke dissipated, it turned out that… it was still alive!

“No way!” cried Yuri in horror. 

“Not enough,” said Otabek triumphantly. “Don’t you ever think of taking down my Golbat from full with just one attack! Now it’s our turn! Wing Attack!”

Golbat let out a piercing screech as the tips of its wings sharpened into blades. It slashed its wings directly onto Torracat’s head, taking it out in an instant. Yuri immediately recalled his fainted Pokémon and sent out Shinx. His heart was pounding furiously. _Golbat is one hit away from death. Shinx needs to tank a hit and land one more attack to win! We can do this!_

“Golbat, take another Super Potion!”

And… all the damage that Torracat dealt just now was completely negated.

Of course. Of course Otabek would use an item. Of course Otabek would foil his plans. And he was especially salty, because… if only he had items to use as well!

“Shinx, Ice Fang!” ordered Yuri, as his Pokémon pounced into the air onto Golbat. Golbat tried to shake Shinx off, but it held on tight, its tiny paws gripping onto Golbat’s wings. Shinx’s fangs became infused with ice; its breath became cold white mist as it bit hard into Golbat, taking off a third of its health! It was then that Golbat had enough. With a final, vigorous shake, it tossed Shinx high up into the air… causing Shinx to land straight into its huge mouth!

“Poison Fang!” commanded Otabek.

“Hurry, Shinx!” cried Yuri. “Thunder Wave!”

Golbat chomped down on Shinx with its venom-laced fangs, but Shinx was not going to turn into Pokémon food just like that! Grabbing Golbat’s tongue, Shinx let out a jolt of electricity, and Golbat became Paralyzed yet again! Down and down went the Bat Pokémon, crashing head first to the ground, with Shinx still inside its mouth. 

And Yuri knew – this was their one and only chance. All or nothing time. 

“Steal the turn, Shinx!” yelled Yuri. “Finish it! Wild Charge!”

Shinx dashed out of Golbat’s mouth, and went back in yet again, blitzing with thousands of volts of blue electricity. The bodies collided, and the sparks from Shinx and the hot air from Torracat just now came together to give rise to a huge…

_Boom!_

Yuri watched with bated breath as the smoke gradually cleared. Lying fainted on the ground were… both Golbat and Shinx.

“So,” said Otabek. “It’s a draw.”

“No,” said Yuri, a smirk creeping on his face. Shinx went all out indeed, and Yuri knew that the recoil would be too much for it, but… “I win. I still have Pokémon left.”

“Well… so do I, actually,” said Otabek. “We can continue if you want… but we all know how that’s going to turn out.” 

Yuri’s jaw dropped. Of course. Of course Otabek would have other Pokémon in his party. Of course his rival would one-up him again.

“Alright!” said Yuri pithily. “So I lost then! Too bad for disappointing you! Now if you excuse me, I need to take my Pokémon to the Pokémon Center – which I should have done a long time ago!” 

“Can’t we just leave it as a draw?” sighed Otabek. “In fact… you’ve improved, Yuri. I’m… quite impressed. You might have actually beaten me if your Pokémon weren’t in their weakened states. The Flamethrower from Torracat just now… that was Blaze, wasn’t it? When Torracat gets low, the power of its Fire-type moves will increase. That’s how you managed to deal such a number to Ivysaur and Golbat. At first I thought you were foolish for not using your healing items… that you didn’t learn anything from our first battle at all. But it turned out… that’s part of your strategy all along, huh?” 

Yuri _really_ should have nodded. He really should have gone along with it, cementing his reputation in his rival’s eyes as a tactical battler who could sort of still make it work even with a handicap, someone who was not a disappointment and should not be trifled with.

But for some strange and inexplicable reason… he could not bring himself to do it.

“Umm… no actually,” Yuri admitted. “It’s because my bag is missing. I don’t have any items on me right now.” 

“What the… How in the world did you manage to lose an entire bag?”

“Crimson Society. Remember those bastards from Crystalline Cave? I ran into them again. They kidnapped me. I managed to escape… by teleporting in front of you.” 

Otabek’s eyes widened in astonishment. “So this means… no way… no wonder your Pokémon were so low… no wonder you were so… prickly. More than usual, anyway. I guess I have to apologize to you… for trying to force you to battle me.”

“Apology accepted.” Well, Yuri did not lose this time round, technically. Which was an improvement, to say the least. It was pretty easy for him to forgive his rival in his semi-euphoric state.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” asked Otabek. “We could have avoided all of that.”

“Well, I wanted to!” retorted Yuri, “But then _some_ _asshole_ implied that I’m a disappointment as a rival, and well, I can’t take this lying down, can I?” 

“Most people can,” said Otabek with a shrug. And did Yuri imagine it… or did Otabek actually smile for a second there? 

“Well, it’s because unlike most people, that statement does not apply to me!”

“It really doesn’t,” said Otabek, smiling for real this time. “That… that wasn’t a disappointing battle.”

“Yeah… I guess it isn’t,” said Yuri, grinning back. “Oh, by the way… can I borrow your PokéNav Plus?”

\---

 

It was close to ten in the evening when Yuri and Otabek reached the Pokémon Center. With relief coursing through his veins, Yuri handed over his Pokémon to the nurse at the counter, giving them some much needed rest and recuperation.

A few moments later, Victor and Yuuri came barging in.

“Yurio!” exclaimed Yuuri. “Thank god you’re okay! What happened? What happened to your Pokémon?”

Words could not describe how glad Yuri was to see Victor and Yuuri again. “Crimson Society. I have so much to tell you,” he said. “Just… not here.”

“Sure thing, Yurio,” said Yuuri, his voice laced with concern. “Let’s get back to the hotel then. After your Pokémon are done getting healed up, of course.”

“Yuri…o?” said Otabek with a faint smirk.

“Shut up!” snapped Yuri, color creeping into his cheeks. “Just… just ignore everything they say, okay?”

“Oh? Who’s this?” asked Victor, turning to Otabek. “A friend of yours, Yurio?”

“That’s Otabek,” replied Yuri. “He’s my rival.”

“Hi!” said Victor, smiling warmly. “I’m Victor, and that’s Yuuri! Don’t stand on ceremony with us, okay? Any friend of Yurio is a friend of ours!”

“I told you, Otabek’s my rival!” shrieked Yuri. “Did your brain get lost in a fire or something?”

Before Victor could come back with a reply, the nurse called out Yuri’s name. Torracat and the others were ready for collection. And so the four of them made their way back to the hotel, back to Yuri’s room. Yuri immediately started recounting the whole story of his kidnap and subsequent escape. 

“…and they started saying, ‘praise the Red Phantom!’, like they’re some sort of crazy worship cult. And that Scarlet Rose would be proud of them, or something.” 

Victor placed a thoughtful finger on his chin. “Red Phantom… that’s the name of the Crimson Society Leader. It was what the previous members referred to him by, anyway. But Scarlet Rose, though…That’s not a name I’m familiar with.”

“Could it be a high-ranking member?” asked Yuri. "A Lieutenant? An Admin?"

“An Admin? Not likely,” said Otabek. “In the past, the Admins had single-letter code names. Like ‘E’, or ‘F’, or ‘G’. Of course, there's always a chance that things have changed now.” 

“And how would you know all that?” said Victor, eying Otabek. 

“The Victor Nikiforov Museum,” replied Otabek with a shrug.

“See?” exclaimed Victor, clapping his hands together. “If only you’ve visited the museum too, Yurio! You would have known all this! You wouldn’t have needed us to solve the _Mystery of the Mysterious Names_ with you! By the way, there's a promotion coming up! Only ₽450 per entry! You get to save ₽50 from the usual price…” 

“You know what?” screeched Yuri. “Why don’t we go, right now! If that’ll make you _shut the hell up_ about it!!!”

“Oh, but it’s really late though,” said Victor with a playful wink. “The museum’s closed.” 

“Calm down, you guys!” pleaded Yuuri. “Let’s not argue, alright? There’re still so many things we need to figure out! For example… what was their meeting at the café about? Where did they take Yurio after they knocked him out? And more importantly… what is the actual status of their Leader? According to Yurio, those Grunts talked about the whole world… giving their life to the Red Phantom. That’s… no different from their original goal, isn’t it? Except… didn't we sort of establish that… the Red Phantom is dead? So how could their new goal be something that can’t be fulfilled?”

“Obviously,” said Yuri, “we were wrong! Victor was wrong! The Crimson Leader’s not really dead at all! He’s probably hiding somewhere, gathering up his followers, ready to kill us all once again! Victor foiled his plans five years ago… but he managed to escape in the guise of death… waiting for the perfect chance at revenge!” 

“I still think he’s dead,” Victor said quietly. “I _know_ he is. I’m absolutely positive he is!”

“Yeah, I know, Yveltal and all right?” said Yuri. “But then… how do you explain the Grunts’ conversation? If you ask me, I think whatever _you_ told me about the Crimson Leader the other day was just pure wild guessing on your part! You can’t really prove it, unless you capture Yveltal and ask it whether it ate the Crimson Leader or something! Too bad you let it go, huh?”

“But if you want to argue along those lines… then everything you said just now… was just a theory too, was it not, Yuri?” Otabek pointed out. “You can’t really prove that the Crimson Leader is alive either, can you?” 

“What the hell, Otabek?” snapped Yuri. “You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“But he’s your rival, no?” said Victor, an amused smile creeping onto his face. “That means you guys are supposed to be on opposite sides.”

The glare Yuri shot Victor right then and there could kill an entire galaxy.

“Ah… maybe… we shouldn’t speculate about the Crimson Leader after all,” said Yuuri, getting a little flustered. “There’s still too little information right now for us to reach a satisfactory conclusion. The only thing we can do right now is perhaps… to wait for them to strike again. Perhaps their next move might give away more of their true motives, and how they’re going to go about achieving them.”

“The next time they strike,” murmured Yuri, “lives might be in danger.”

“But until then… what else can we do?”

“I’m going back to the café tomorrow,” Yuri replied. “ _The Daily Grind_. My gut feeling tells me that it’s Crimson Society’s secret base! I’m going to look for clues… and maybe my bag, too!” 

“We’ll go with you!” said Victor. “Let’s visit the café first thing tomorrow morning, alright? I’ll also inform the Pokémon League Association about Crimson Society’s return. That’ll put everyone – the Elite Four and the Gym Leaders – on high alert for any unusual activity in the region. As for now… I think we could all use a good night’s rest.”

Otabek got up from his seat. “Well, it’s about time I get going. See you tomorrow, Yuri. ” 

“Huh?” said Yuri. “You’re coming along with us too?”

Otabek nodded briskly and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

 _Even now… he must be feeling bad about making me battle just now,_ thought Yuri. _Maybe he’s not as much of an asshole as I thought he was._

“Alright, let’s return to our room too, Victor,” said Yuuri. “Goodnight, Yurio!” 

“Sweet dreams!”

“Night.” 

The boy switched off the lights and snuggled under the covers. He did not dream.


	17. The Art Of Getting Along With People

“Oh, you have got to be shitting me!”

Yuri Plisetsky swore he was not going to lose his temper again. That was what he assured Victor and Yuuri early on in the morning. Making a scene in a public place, even in a secluded, empty café, was understandably unbefitting of a future Champion, and not only could his rage cloud his mind and obliterate any sense of logical thinking, it could also unintentionally hurt the people around him.

He tried, he really did.

But how the hell was he to know… how utterly infuriating things would get?

This stupid barista was obviously toying with him. _Oh no, I have no idea what’s going on with this café! Gee, Crimson Society? I don’t know anything! Didn’t they disband five years ago?_ Lies, lies, lies. He could see through every single one of them. He knew about the café’s so-called ‘after hours’. He _experienced_ it firsthand. And now… he would not let up until she told him the truth.

And really, now that Yuri thought about it, why should he spare Crimson Society, of all people, his rage? When it came to those bastards, bring on the all the hurt! Bring on all the pain! After everything they did to him, who cared about mercy? He would be more than willing to unleash brimstone and fire upon them, unleash every last ounce of his wrath and fury, so that all that was left of the Society was a pile of smoking carcasses, thoroughly annihilated, never to return again. He would be more than _ecstatic_ to do that.

“I really, really don’t know what you’re talking about!”

_And there she goes again._ “Do you think I’m that much of a moron to believe you?” screamed the boy. He was practically climbing onto the counter; his face was mere inches away from the frazzled barista’s, and his eyes were ablaze with the flames of the deepest pits of hell. “I’m going to ask you one last time! Are you dead sure you have nothing to do with Crimson Society? Because if I happen to find out that you are, and that you’ve been lying to me this whole time, I’m going to rip off your face and tear off your – ah!”

It all happened so suddenly. His muscles were tensing up against his will; his senses went completely numb, and his movements jerked to a halt. This weird sensation… he felt it before! Somewhere… not too long ago… _That’s it! Psychic! And what power, too!_ It was as if a strong yet invisible straitjacket was trying to pin him down, to rein him in place. He was too powerless against it to do a thing. The next thing he knew, he was floating in the air, away from the barista and towards his seat.

“Thank you, Gardevoir,” said Victor, taking a sip of his coffee. Yuri was considerably surprised at how composed he was. It was as if he already knew beforehand that Yuri was going to flare up and make a huge mess of things… which sadly, said less about him than it did about Yuri.

“That’s enough, Yurio,” Victor continued, feeding Gardevoir a Berry from his cheese tart. “Seriously! You’re going to scare the poor lady away!”

“Why the hell did you stop me?” screeched Yuri. “She was about to tell us everything we need to know!”

“No, she isn’t!” sighed Yuuri, burying his face in his hands. “Why would a Crimson Society Grunt flat out confess her membership just because you asked? And why would she change her answer… just because you asked _twice_?”

“I did not just _ask_ ,” said Yuri, throwing him a glare. “I _interrogated_ her. I was trying to force the truth out of her! It’s so obvious she’s lying!”

“I… don’t know about that,” said Yuuri nervously. “How can you be certain whether she’s being honest or not? What if… she really is as clueless as she claims? I mean, for starters, she doesn’t even have red hair! ”

Yuri opened his mouth but no words came out. The Elite Four was right, and he knew it; without proof, he could not be a hundred percent sure of anything, and there was really no credible way to justify his 'interrogation' just now. But whether the _café_ itself had any connections to Crimson Society was a different matter altogether. For there was a _theory_ , and it had become so plain to him, after Otabek had pointed it out much earlier on in the morning – that so far, everything that he knew about Crimson Society had directed him to one single destination. The attempted kidnapping of the schoolkids… that secret tunnel in Crystalline Cave had led to none other than Grimmetts City. And it was definitely not a coincidence that Yuri found himself almost kidnapped too, right here, in this same place. Surely, there had to be _something_ in this café. It _had_ to be a core aspect of Crimson Society’s supposed ‘master plan’. Anyone with a smidgen of common sense could see it, and even if Otabek did not mention it to him, he was sure he would make the connection sooner or later.

Still… right now, it was but a theory. Like the whole fiasco with Yveltal and Red Phantom, it was a really, really convincing theory, but a theory nonetheless. Which meant that there was still a tiny chance that he could be wrong… yet if he were correct (and he had a damn good feeling he was), the evidence _would_ be there, in the form of an underground secret chamber, or perhaps a secret button behind a poster to press. 

So all he needed to do right now was to find it.

“Let’s assume that the barista isn’t lying for now, okay?” said Victor. “This can only mean that all this time, Crimson Society has been using the café without her knowledge! So it’s up to us to search the place from scratch!” 

“Now we’re talking! Let’s do it!” said Yuri, standing up from his seat… only to be pushed down by another wave of Gardevoir’s Psychic.

“Yurio, we need to ask the barista for permission first! And you know there’s no way she’s going to fall for any of your ridiculous threats!” said Victor. “No offense, but… you’re as intimidating as a Skitty with a ball of yarn! Really, what can a Trainer with only two Badges do to her?”

“What can I do to her?” shrieked Yuri. “What can I do to her??? Are you kidding me? Why don’t you ask the hundreds of Trainers I’ve defeated! Ask Mila! Ask Kenjiro! Ask the Trainers in Route 1, Route 2, Route –” 

“Right, I think we get it,” muttered Otabek.

“You’re afraid I’m going to say your name, aren’t you?” smirked Yuri.

“But you aren’t,” said Otabek, meeting his eyes pointedly. “You can’t. That’ll be lying.”

And Yuri’s blood began to boil once more, and now Yuuri was starting to panic a little… 

Victor took another sip of coffee. “Calm down, Yurio! Will it kill you to not be scary or angry for once? There’s an art to getting along with people –” 

“I don’t _want_ to get along with anyone who might be from Crimson Society –” 

“– okay, to get people to agree to your requests; let’s put it this way, shall we? Anyway, watch and learn.”

The Champion placed down his empty coffee cup, got up from his seat, and sauntered up to the front of the café. He flicked his silver bangs, leaned casually against the counter, and began talking.

“Hey! I’m so, so sorry about just now! My friend over there can be a little too… overexcited sometimes! Say… I know! Why don’t I treat you to a cup of coffee? Take it as my apology, alright? And speaking of coffee, that espresso you made for me just now was just utterly divine! How long have you been working here? Three months? No way! That’s amazing…”

Yuri’s jaw dropped. So according to Victor Nikiforov, the ‘art of getting along with people’… was none other than sweet-talking them like no tomorrow? Even someone who might be an enemy??? It was so unbelievable of him – yet so totally expected at the same time! Yuri swiveled his head to get a glimpse of Yuuri’s reaction at this madness, and the Elite Four member simply continued eating his cake as if nothing was happening, as if he was totally okay with his stupid boyfriend flirting with others right in front of his stupid face! And why did Victor even think this would work? Why would the barista agree to his request, just because he tried to dazzle her with his charisma?

And Yuri realized with a bolt of horror… of course she would be dazzled. Enamored, even. Absolutely and irrevocably starstruck. It was Victor freaking Nikiforov, after all. Of course the Champion of the Ibara Region could get away with such a stupidly obvious trick. It was the grooming kit all over again; the world was wrong, oh so wrong…

Victor returned to his seat with a satisfied grin on his face.

“So?” said Otabek. “How did it go?” 

“Piece of cake!” said Victor. “We have twenty minutes before her manager comes back, so let’s get moving!”

“That’s great,” replied Otabek. “Hopefully, we can find something about Crimson Society, including clues to Yuri’s kidnapping incident. By the way… how did you pull that off?”

“My top-class persuasion skills,” winked Victor.

“Oh, please!” cried Yuri, rolling his eyes. “You call that ‘persuasion’? That was nothing but shameless flattery!”

“What?” said Victor, a mortified look on his face. “That was genuine praise! Okay, I admit, maybe ‘divine’ might be too much of an exaggeration, but the coffee really is pretty good! You see, Yurio, sometimes, all you got to do is to just be nice to others, be friends with others, and they’ll lend you a helping hand in return! Simple as that!” 

“Yeah, say whatever you want, but it still sounds like flattery to me!” Yuri retorted. “Seriously, Yuuri, are you just going to take this lying down? Aren’t you going to be mad at him, or something?” 

“Mad? Why?” said Yuuri. “Don’t tell me… you thought… he was flirting with the barista?” 

Yuri’s face turned bright red. “Oh, come on! Don’t tell me that thought didn’t cross your mind at all!”

“Thanks for worrying, Yurio,” giggled Yuuri, “but that’s just Victor’s nature! It’s his way of being nice, and I guess, part of his magnetic charm! I’m already used to it! Of course, sometimes I do wish that he could maybe tone down the teasing a bit, but…”

“ _Yuuuuuuri_!” gasped Victor, going in for a hug. “Is that true? I’m so, so, so sorry! I didn’t mean… to hurt you like that! 

“I wasn’t hurt…?” 

“I swear, from now on, I’ll –” 

That was when Yuri decided to switch his ears off and focus on literally anything else. Like say, searching for a lead, for example. Which was, in fact, a _really_ important task that those two idiots _really_ needed to get to right now, instead of wasting their time doing… whatever disgusting love crap they were doing in front of him! If Crystalline Cave was any indication, it meant that Crimson Society was really, really good at covering up their tracks and keeping any secret entrances hidden from view, so he needed to keep his eyes peeled. _Concentrate_ , he thought. _Leave no stone unturned. Every corner and nook and cranny must be checked out, no matter how unsuspicious they look! Because I’m sure there’s something in this café; I’m sure of it!_  

He decided to start from the floor, because that was where they found the hidden entrance in Crystalline Cave, and who knew, it might be a Crimson Society trademark thing. And an underground secret lair was definitely not a far-fetched theory. The tiles of the floor were rectangular wooden planks, which gave the place a rustic feel… but there were so many of them, and literally anyone of them could contain some sort of clue. And that was not all. There were still the walls, and ceilings, and tables, and chairs that demanded to be investigated. Even with the four of them, it would take _forever_.

“Don’t worry, Yurio!” said Victor. “With our Pokémon by our side, there’s no such thing as an impossible task! Gardevoir, Psychic!” 

“Gaaaar!” The Embrace Pokémon raised its hands and within seconds, everything on the ground was lifted up into the air, including the bar counter… the furniture… Yuri and the others… Gardevoir itself… and a certain black sling backpack that looked all too familiar.

“Over there! My bag!” exclaimed Yuri. He tried swimming towards it, but of course, he found himself unable move any of his limbs, thanks to the restricting effects of Psychic. Gardevoir let out another cry and waved its arms in a circular motion, causing the bag to float slowly towards the boy, eventually stopping in mid-air right in front of him.

“You’ll be able to grab it once we get back down,” said Victor. “As for now… the floor’s all yours, Otabek!”

“I’m on it,” said Otabek. “Go, Golbat! Supersonic!” 

A ray of light burst out from one of the Poké Balls on Otabek’s belt, and Golbat appeared, flitting in circles around the café, releasing pulses of waves at the ground at the same time. 

“That’s the technique you showed me before!” said Yuri excitedly.

“Right,” nodded Otabek. “If one of the tiles really is a door to somewhere, the echo it produces when Supersonic hits will be different from the rest of the other tiles. Perhaps only slightly, given that we’re dealing with Crimson Society, but Golbat will be able to distinguish it nonetheless. We’ve been training for this ever since Crystalline Cave! Nothing can escape Golbat’s detection!” 

Golbat returned to Otabek’s side, shaking its large head. 

“Negative…?” said Yuuri. 

“So, Otabek,” said Yuri, “you were saying?” 

“I trust my Pokémon,” said Otabek. “I think… there really is nothing below the ground. But that doesn’t conclude anything, though. We still have the walls and the ceiling. Maybe the overhead duct leads to somewhere.”

“Then let’s try the ceiling!” said Victor. “Gardevoir, you can let us all down now!”

As soon as Yuri hit the floor, he tore open his bag and dug out its contents. Thankfully, nothing was missing or damaged. His cash and items were still intact. And more importantly, so were his two Badges! He wondered where Crimson Society had chucked his bag before they whisked him away to god-knew-where, but that was not important. The main issue right now was – time was running out. Otabek and Golbat had saved them a crapload of time with their maneuver… but to be realistic, twenty minutes was not a lot of time to begin with, and –

“Oh no!” cried the barista. “I just received a text from my manager! He said he’s going to be back any second now!”

“But… but you told us twenty minutes!!!” gasped Yuuri. “We haven’t even reached the ten-minute mark!”

“I’m sorry!” said the barista. “But you guys have to stop, right now! My manager is going to kill me! He hates it when people mess up the place and drive away his customers!” 

“What customers???” Yuri pointed out. “Your café is practically located in a ghost alley! And frankly, I thought that was your whole shtick! You know, the ‘hipster’ concept?”

“Umm… no. It’s because… the rent’s cheap.”

“Then publicize yourselves!” said Yuri, as if that was obvious – because it totally was! “Make yourselves known! Get out there and wear a huge signboard with your café’s name on it! Drag people inside if you need to!”

“We tried!” wailed the barista. “But the competition out there is just too much for us to handle! I mean, did you see the Pikachu café? They’re planning to take over a building! A whole entire building!” 

“I see! In that case, I have just the plan!” said Victor. He whipped out his camera from his coat pocket. “Everyone, say cheese…! Alright, perfect! I’ll mail you the photo right now! Enlarge it, make it a poster, and say that Victor and Yuuri and friends have been here! That’ll draw in the crowds for sure! And in return… tell us when you find anything related to Crimson Society, alright?” 

It was close to noon when they left _The Daily Grind_ , but Yuri’s day was just beginning.

\---

 

“That’s strange,” mused Victor, as they walked down the streets of Grimmetts City. “You would think that Crimson Society would want their secret-base-disguised-as-a-café to attract as little attention as possible… but that barista just now seemed way too happy at that chance at publicity! Kind of puts a dent in the theory of her lying to us, huh?” 

They had just finished lunch and they were just about to head towards the Sunny Days Pokémon Grooming Parlor, since it turned out, Victor had an appointment with them. Of course, Yuri would rather go straight to the Grimmetts Gym, but Victor insisted that there was no way he could go about a Gym Battle without his Pokémon in pristine condition; they took a vote, and it was three against one, so he had no choice but to follow the majority. On his part, he had been using his grooming kit religiously at the end of every day, but so far, ever since that one battle with Mila, his Pokémon had not been pulling any miracles. _Does that mean I’m not loving them enough? Will a Champion-sponsored_ _₽_ _555555 grooming session do the trick, perhaps? Damn it! Those three are getting spoilt to death!_

But back to the topic at hand.

“In any case, we need to return to the café tonight,” said Otabek. “I mean after opening hours. Our search isn’t done yet. And based on what we know… I suspect that’s also when Crimson Society takes over the place. There’s a good chance that we might run into them.”

“So you mean… breaking and entering?” asked Yuuri, a tinge of uncertainty in his voice. 

“Do you have a problem with that?” 

“Yes!” said Yuuri. 

“No!” said Yuri at the same time. 

“I’m sorry Yurio, but that’s against the law!” said Yuuri. “As a member of the Ibara Elite Four, it’s my duty to ensure that all Trainers in the region –”

“Oh, don’t be a spoilsport!” scoffed Yuri. “I mean, kidnapping is illegal, right? And Crimson Society still did it! Why can’t we too, answer in kind? Fight fire with fire!”

“Because that’ll make us just like them,” sighed Otabek. “Come on Yuri, please tell me you know that.”

“Right,” said Yuri, averting his gaze. “Of course. That’s the last thing I want to happen to me. I guess I was a little too… overexcited. But wait! I thought you were all for that sort of thing too?” 

“No, I wasn’t,” said Otabek, throwing him a weird look, “if it’s illegal in the first place. I was just checking, that’s all.” 

And Yuri felt stupid once again. Today had been filled with him saying the wrong things again and again, assuming the worst of the intentions of others… which was probably no different from most of his days, but still. _Is this what prolonged exposure to Crimson Society does to people?_ Sure, a healthy dose of skepticism was always good, but even Yuri had to admit… perhaps it was starting to get a teensy bit out of hand. Perhaps he should try easing up the tension a little. Perhaps he really needed to take a leaf out of Victor’s book…

…okay, definitely not the third option. He would rather jump down a cliff than to say such sickeningly cheesy things to someone else. Even now, those words that Victor had said to the barista – and especially Yuuri (it turned out humans could _not_ completely switch their ears off after all) – still gave him major goosebumps and shivers up his spine.

“Say, Otabek,” said Yuri. “Why do you even care about Crimson Society, anyway? I already got my bag back. You… don’t need to feel like you owe me anymore.” 

“The region is in danger,” Otabek replied, “and I want to help. I know what happened five years ago. And I don’t want history to repeat itself again. As a Trainer, I feel like I have a part to play in keeping everyone safe.”

“Wow! How righteous!” said Victor. “That’s a rare sight in Trainers nowadays! You’re right; we really do need all the help we can get. Thank you so much for joining us in this fight!”            

“No prob –” Otabek was about to finish his sentence when all of a sudden, there was a sharp, piercing audio feedback sound that seemed to originate from a street or two away… somewhere in the central city square! 

“Ladies and gentlemen and Pokémon!” boomed a crisp voice from a microphone. “It’s time for _Grimmetts City Live!!_ We promise you an afternoon of fun and exciting performances to come!” 

“Hey, we still have time until our appointment!” said Victor. “Why don’t we check it out?”

The central city square was an oasis in the concrete jungle that was Grimmetts City, a wide, rectangular field surrounded by skyscrapers on all sides. In the middle of the field was an enormous makeshift stage that came fully equipped with huge speakers and colorful strobe lights. For a temporary outdoor setup, it was pretty impressive. 

The show began. The first act was a music performance by the Pokémon Trainers’ University String Ensemble, a twenty-member orchestra with its members on violins, violas, or cellos. It started off slow – sweet, soothing tunes that were, frankly, pretty sleep-inducing… but that did not last long. Five minutes into the performance, five Pokémon stepped onto the stage – Exploud on vocals and bass, Machamp and Barbaracle on guitars, Cradily on drums, and Ambipom on keyboards. And that was when the tempo picked up tenfold, to levels of pure _awesomeness_. Skin-tearing electric guitar riffs. Blistering and aggressive drum beats. Now _that_ was more Yuri’s style! And Exploud really stole the show with its deep, guttural screams – and who knew it could play such a sick bass! Combined with the melodious symphonies of the piano and the strings, it was just too epic for words. Yuri’s ears had never experienced such a treat.

Then came a series of performances one after another, and Yuri and the others found themselves clapping and cheering at every interval. There was a traditional fan dance with Kimono Girls and their Sensu-Style Oricorio, a double act comedy routine with a Bird Keeper and his talking Chatot, and even a pyrotechnics show by a Firebreather and his team of six Charmeleon. Yuri’s eyes were glued to the stage the whole time; it was all so cool and fascinating! 

“And now, the moment you all are waiting for! Our final performance! Be very prepared, for Ibara’s best dance crew is going to rock your socks off with their earth-shattering moves! Give it up for… Magnitude!!!” 

The dancers bounced onto stage and took their positions in a semicircle formation. There were seven of them – two men, two women, a Seismitoad, a Marshtomp, and a Krokorok. For a moment, everything was silent.

Then, the music began, loud and booming, blaring out in all directions from the speakers. 

It was a complete 180 from the Kimono Girls. Instead of the graceful elegance one would usually associate with dance, this crew had passion and vivacity written all over them. The music was electronic, addictive, bursting with energy, and within seconds, almost everyone in the square was pumped up and jumping along to the beat. Yuri swore he could feel the ground pulsing beneath him. But that was not the best part. The best part were none other than the dancers themselves. Each of them took turns to go in the middle of the semicircle to show off their moves, with the rest of the crew – and the audience – cheering them on as they performed. And the stunts they pulled were absolutely insane! Completely out of the world! One of the girls was a beast at popping and locking; it was as if every bone in her body had a will of its own. The Krokorok, on the other hand, was really, really good at headspins and elbow spins and well, spins in general, and until now, Yuri did not know that Pokémon could even pull off such amazing dance moves.

But there was one man that caught Yuri’s eye in particular. His skin was golden-brown and his chin-length russet hair was tied back in a ponytail. With a confident grin, he started off with a windmill into a flare… followed by an airflare… followed by a one-handed airflare. At least, that was what Yuuri told him. To him, it was just a crazy dancer defying the laws of physics with insane arm strength, an incredible sense of balance, and the god-like ability to not get dizzy even after so much turning. Like seriously! How many rotations was that? Twenty? Thirty? And his legs did not touch the ground, even for a second! How could anyone's arms support all that body weight for such a long time? 

This was definitely Yuri’s favorite item for sure. The Pokémon Trainers’ University Strings Ensemble came in second, an otherwise perfect performance marred by a slow and boring start.

“How come you know so much about breakdancing?” he asked Yuuri.

“Well, Magnitude has been gaining quite a lot of popularity in recent years, especially in Unova, for some reason! When I was traveling there, you could practically see them on every single TV screen! They usually get the members to demonstrate their moves on variety shows and the like, so perhaps that’s where I picked the terms up.”

The crew ended their performance to thunderous applause. They took a bow, picked up the microphones on stage and began with the self-introductions. 

“Hi! I’m Katie!”

“I’m Jin!”

“I’m Leo!” 

“I’m Dave!” 

“Maaaarsh!” 

“Seeeeeismitoooad!” 

“Kraaaa!” 

“And together, we’re Magnitude!”

_So, the airflare guy’s called Leo,_ thought Yuri. _That’s good to know._

“Thank you so much, Grimmetts City!!!” said Leo. “Our worldwide tour’s coming up tomorrow, and what better way to kick it off than a performance right here, in our home city! As your Gym Leader, I couldn’t be happier and more honored!” 

The crowd roared. 

“Absolutely!” Katie chimed in. “Our first stop will be Mauville City in Hoenn! If you happen to be there, do feel free to come watch us! Tickets are running out fast! After Mauville, we’ll head off to Lilycove…”

Yuri was not listening anymore. _The best dancer in Magnitude is also the Gym Leader of Grimmetts City??? Well… that’s awfully convenient!_ Now he knew who to defeat in order to get his third Gym Badge!

Leo… now that was a name he had to remember. And didn’t he say that he was leaving for his tour… tomorrow? Which could only mean… he only had up till tonight to challenge the Grimmetts Gym! Otherwise, the crew would be gone for who knew how long… and Yuri could not afford to wait that long!

He rushed backstage as soon as the concert was over; there were barricades in the way but he did not care, it was not _too_ illegal, and his Gym Battle was far too important. So he climbed over them, and to his joy and relief, the first thing he saw was the entire Magnitude crew, just about to leave the place…!!!

“Wait!!!” shouted Yuri.

They all turned and stared at him at the same time, but his attention was focused on the Gym Leader alone.

Somehow, he could sort of imagine the conversation that would play out between them.

_I challenge you! I have two Gym Badges, you know! You won’t regret battling me! I’ll give you a battle you’ll never forget!_

_I’m sorry, we’re going on tour tomorrow, and we need to rest! Please come back in another 3439471 days!_

_Oh, so you are afraid of losing to me! What a coward! Battle me, and prove me wrong!_

_Security! Help!_

“Excuse me,” said Leo, jolting him out from his thoughts. “Can we… help you?” 

Yuri took a deep breath. “Hey!” he said, cracking a smile. “N-nice to meet you! I saw your performance just now and I l-l-loved it so much!” He could feel the color creeping into his cheeks, but he forced himself to ignore it.  _Just relax. Be nice. Tell them how you really feel. No matter how embarrassing it is._ “Really. I really loved it. Every single second of it. It was… utterly divine! Umm… I mean… awesome! Wicked! Thank you all for the great show!” 

“No,” said Leo, grinning warmly back. “Thank _you_ , for supporting us!” 

“Yes!” said Yuri, still smiling the best he could. “I definitely support you guys! All the way! Such great talent must be supported, no matter what! So… do you want to have a battle before you leave? You know, to remember this place by? You won’t regret battling me!”

“I’m sorry, we’re starting our tour tomorrow, and we need all rest we can get! That includes Leo, of course,” said Dave. “Maybe you might want to come back in a month? That’s when we’re starting our Ibara leg!” 

“Hey, Dave, don’t worry!” said Leo, giving his teammate a reassuring pat on the back. “I think I have enough energy in me to squeeze in one Gym Battle! And besides, the last thing I want to do is disappoint our fan!” 

“So you’ll battle me!” gasped Yuri, his heart swelling with excitement. He hated so much to admit it, but holy crap! That bastard Victor’s technique actually worked! Three cheers for flattery… with some truth in it!

“Yup!” said Leo. “I’ll meet you in my Gym at nine tonight, alright?” 

“Deal!” 

As the dance crew walked away, Yuri spun round to head back to the main square… only to come face to face with Victor, Yuuri, and Otabek! Victor, especially had a mischievous grin on his face. 

“So… ‘divine’, huh?” teased the Champion. 

“Shut up! That was a mistake, okay???” screeched the boy, blushing furiously. “ _You_ are a mistake! Everything is a mistake!!!”

“Calm down, Yurio!” giggled Yuuri. “Nothing you did there was a mistake! In fact, I have a feeling that you might have just made Magnitude's day! In any case, it looks like we have ourselves a Gym Battle tonight! I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us!” 

“Knowing Yurio, it would definitely be nothing short of great!” said Victor. “So, all the best, Yurio! Show us a battle we’ll never forget!”


	18. It’s Your Time To Shine! (Part I)

He had only six hours remaining until his Gym Battle with Leo, the Grimmetts City Gym Leader, and Yuri Plisetsky wasted no time at all with his preparations. Straight after his grooming session, he dashed off to Route 7 north of the city, desperately attempting to squeeze in some last minute training. It was like studying for exams all over again, except with much less memorizing, much more willingness and a much more valid excuse – that whole fiasco with _The Daily Grind_ and Crimson Society ate up just _too much_ of his time.

After four hours of pure level grinding in the tall grass and battling all the Trainers he had skipped the first time round, Yuri and his Pokémon were utterly exhausted. Yet every single cell in their body was buzzing with eagerness and excitement for their upcoming match. There was some good news as well – Shinx, a major part of Yuri’s most recent wins, finally evolved into a Luxio, an important boost just in the nick of time for his Gym Battle… was what Yuri really, really wanted to say, but sadly… he had a feeling Luxio had no choice but to warm the bench this time round. After all, it turned out that Leo specialized in Ground-type Pokémon, and Luxio’s Electric-type attacks would do absolutely nothing to them. As for his other Pokémon, Torracat’s Fire-type moves could potentially be a crucial winning factor based on raw STAB power alone, but the Fire Cat Pokémon itself was extremely weak to Ground-type moves, meaning that defensively, it would be at a major disadvantage. 

Fortunately, Yuri had Wimpod, who not only resisted Ground-type moves, but could also inflict super-effective damage in return with Waterfall… although, as Yuuri had pointed out, Leo’s Ground-type Pokémon would most likely come prepared with Rock-type coverage moves as an answer to Bug-types. Plus, there could also be dual-type Pokémon like the Seismitoad from just now, against which Waterfall would only deal neutral damage. Yuri knew that there was no way he could account for every single possible scenario, but he did the best he could in the short amount of time that he had. All that was left was to put his trust in his Pokémon to do their best to win!

“Now there’s only one more thing left to do!” said Victor. “Let’s go shopping!”

“Shopping???” 

“Yup! It’s about time you stock up on your items! Plus, what better way to relax before a big fight?”

The Grimmetts Department Store was a massive five-storey complex filled to the brim with Pokémon goods. Berries, TMs, Vitamins, Poké Balls, held items… it had everything a Trainer needed and wanted. Yuri had saved up quite a lot of money ever since his last jacket purchase in Blumenschmidt City, but it was not to the point where he could afford a whole bag of Full Restores or something in a similar vein. There was only a limited number of items he could buy, and he needed to make sure that all the money spent on them would be worth it…

“If I were you, I would consider basing my purchases on the strategies I plan to bring into battle,” said Otabek. “What you might want to look out for especially are items that amplify your Pokémon’s advantages and make up for their disadvantages.”

That totally sounded like what Victor would say, and Yuri completely agreed. “Strange that my rival, of all people, would be giving me advice,” he said with an amused smirk. “I thought that if there’s anyone in the world who would want to see me get my ass kicked, it would be you.”

Otabek shook his head. “Of course you must win, Yuri. If anything, I want you to get stronger too. It’ll… make defeating you much more satisfying.”

“Whatever floats your boat,” shrugged Yuri. “Just don’t go crying back home when I get too strong and steamroll your team the next time we fight!” 

“Trust me… that won’t happen.”

Finally, after much contemplation and indecisiveness, Yuri finished buying all the items he wanted. It was eight-fifteen by the time they left the Grimmetts Department Store – just in time for dinner, a quick visit to the Pokémon Center… and then, the much-awaited Gym Battle!

_We only have one shot at this,_ thought Yuri, the initial excitement giving way to pure determination. _One shot at victory… but really, one shot is all we need! Badge number four, here we come!_

\---

 

When Yuri and the rest arrived at the Grimmetts City Gym, Leo was already waiting at the entrance. His hair was let loose from its ponytail, and instead of the trendy street clothes he wore on stage, this time round, he had on a brown bomber jacket and navy blue jeans. The dancer was gone and in his place the Gym Leader, yet every inch of him still radiated the same confidence and exuberance.

Leo’s eyes lit up when he saw his newest challenger. “Oh, hey! You’re here! Umm…”

“Yuri Plisetsky.”

“Right, Yuri! Thanks so much for coming! I see you brought friends as well!”

“Long time no see, Leo!” greeted Victor. “How’s it going?” 

“It’s been pretty hectic actually,” Leo admitted with a sheepish grin, “with rehearsals and tour preparations and whatnot! Still, I’m enjoying every second of it! I’ve never felt more alive!” 

“That’s nice to hear,” said Yuuri. “We hope we aren’t bothering you too much! Yurio here… he’s been looking forward to this battle ever since he met you!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” said Leo. “Challengers are always welcome to the Grimmetts Gym… so long as it’s open, of course! To tell you the truth… I’m really hyped as well! It’s been ages since my last proper Gym match! Let’s get right down to it, okay? I’ll be using three Pokémon, but you can use as many as you want!” 

The four of them followed him into the Gym and down the elevator – and when the door opened, Yuri could not believe his eyes. It was unlike any battlefield he had seen. For starters, the ground was definitely not flat at all. All around him, underneath his feet, was sand, soft and crumbly, shaped into dunes of varying sizes. There were also slabs of sharp, flat stones sticking out haphazardly all around, with a couple of gigantic rocks here and there. It was like a desert in a building – a desert ravaged by a giant earthquake. 

“Well, that’s a Ground-type Gym for you!” remarked Victor from the stands. He and Yuuri were holding up the same banner that they used in the previous Gym Battle. It was the glorious return of the Yurio cheer squad!

“Go for it, Yurio!” called Yuuri. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine! Go! Go! Let’s go! Let’s go, Yurio!”

“Go! Go! Let’s go! Let’s go, Yurio!” 

_Argh! Not in front of my rival, you idiots!_ thought Yuri, cringing inwardly… but on the other hand, a growing part of him was starting to relish the fact that he had a cheer squad and Otabek did not. _Take that, asshole! My own personal cheerleaders are an Elite Four and the freaking Champion! What are you going to do about that, huh?_

Strangely, Otabek did not seem the least perturbed; even clapping along with the beat as the other two chanted their cheer. _Who would have guessed… looks like he really does want me to win after all._ Sure, there was something about the satisfaction of beating a tougher opponent thrown in the mix somewhere, but still… that was uncharacteristically nice of someone who was supposed to be on the ‘opposite side’. 

Yuri licked his lips and broke into a grin. _Then tonight, I shall be uncharacteristically nice as well. I’ll grant you your little request. I’ll win this one for you. I’ll show you what exactly you’re in for, the very moment you declared me your rival!_

“Alright, let our match begin!” said Leo. “Go, Hippowdon!”

What emerged from his Ultra Ball was one of the largest Pokémon Yuri had seen so far in his journey, second only to maybe Drampa. Standing at about six-and-a-half feet tall, Hippowdon resembled a brown and black desert hippopotamus, with red eyes and a gigantic mouth. On its back were several holes with sand gushing out from them, forming puddles of sand on the sandy ground.

All of a sudden, sand (yes, more sand!) and gravel started blowing around the entire room, from the battlefield to even the spectator stands! And did Yuri mention how much he hated all this? Stationary sand on the ground was one thing, sand being poured all over him was another, but… an actual freaking sandstorm??? And such a huge one to boot! That was torture straight out of the darkest dimensions of beyond Ultra Space! Covering his face with his hands did absolutely nothing at all. He wanted so much to complain, but the thought of swallowing an entire mouthful of sand irked him so much that he was more than happy to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the battle. Then there was the whole issue of how the hell he was going to give orders to his Pokémon… 

The solution came not a moment to soon – Leo started handing out Go-Goggles and surgical masks to everyone in the room. “These are meant to protect your eyes and mouth from the flying particles! Now we can all enjoy the battle in comfort!” 

Yuri immediately strapped the items onto his face. But comfort??? That was still highly debatable. The Go-Goggles were a tad too loose, the rest of his body was still caked with filth, and above all… he looked like a complete dork in that getup. Well, so did everyone else, but that was beside the point. “Okay, what the hell???” sputtered Yuri, finally willing and able to speak. “What’s with this crazy sandstorm?”

“My apologies!” said Leo, not looking the least bit apologetic at all. “But Hippowdon can’t help it! It’s its Ability, Sand Stream! As soon as it enters the battlefield, well… this happens!”

Yuri tried to recall everything he had learnt in Trainers’ School about weather conditions. _Sandstorm… sandstorm… it lasts five turns… and every Pokémon other than the Rock, Steel, or Ground-types receives some damage from it each turn!_ Since none of his Pokémon belonged to those three categories, he needed to be extra careful to not let their health whittle away. He needed to defeat the source of the sandstorm as soon as possible, right here, right now! “Go! Wimpod! Waterfall!” 

Bursting eagerly out of its Poké Ball, Wimpod summoned a huge wall of crashing water, straight into the enemy Hippowdon’s wide-open mouth! The sheer pressure, the STAB, and the super-effectiveness… and to top it all off, Wimpod was holding the Mystic Water Yuri purchased just now at the Grimmetts Department Store – an item that boosted the power of Water-type moves! There was no way a Ground-type Pokémon survived this kind of onslaught…!

But to Yuri’s utter horror, Hippowdon did not budge a single inch from Wimpod’s attack! It was still standing firm, its gaze stoic and tranquil, its feet planted deeply into the sand. “No way!” he gasped. “How’s that even possible? Water beats Ground! It was super-effective! Yet it only did… what, one-third of Hippowdon’s health???” 

“A little less than that, actually!” corrected Leo with a glint in his eye. “My Hippowdon’s just _this_ tanky! Honestly… I was sort of expecting your opening attack to hurt a little more, you know! Now, Hippowdon! Slack Off!”

The Heavyweight Pokémon let out a massive yawn, healing back to full again. While Wimpod on the other hand, became the one receiving all the damage, no thanks to that bloody sandstorm! That… was a complete opposite from what Yuri had planned! He had really meant to use his first turn to gain the momentum he needed, to put himself in a good spot to victory, but what a disaster that turned out to be! Just how bulky was Hippowdon, exactly? According to the Pokédex, Hippowdon had… a base HP of 108… a base Defense of 118… and a base Special Defense of 72. _Holy crap! What sort of insanity is this?_ It was a Physical brick wall through and through, and no wonder Wimpod’s corresponding Physical Attack did not inflict the damage it was meant to!

And not only that, Wimpod was… well, Wimpod. No matter how strong Waterfall was as a move, no matter how many rounds of multipliers it got subjected through, there was only _so much_ a Pokémon with a base Attack of 35 could do with it. There was no use sugarcoating it – other than Speed, Wimpod’s stats were simply abysmal. Sure, it could very well hold its own against the average paltry Trainer out there, but against a Gym Leader’s ace Hippowdon? Completely and utterly outclassed. On paper, it seemed that Wimpod would do well against this Gym, but Yuri was quickly starting to realize that the matchup would not be as one-sided as he had expected it to be.

The Turn Tail Pokémon squirmed on the spot, as if sensing its Trainer’s growing desperation… and Yuri immediately felt a pang of guilt. _Damn it!_ _I’m sorry, Wimpod! It’s really not your fault, I guess! I still believe in you… I need to believe in you… that you’re going pull through in the end, somehow! After all, you’re the only one in this team who has the tools to deal with all the Ground-types Leo’s going to throw at us! You’re the one with the type advantage! From the very beginning, you’re the one I’m counting on… to win this Badge for us!_

Yuri took a deep breath. Right now… there was no reason at all to _really_ panic. It was not like there was no actual way to counter Hippowdon. Yuri could see all the possible solutions in a flash. The most straightforward method was, of course, exploiting its weaker Special Defense stat and hence using only Special Attacks against it, but unfortunately, Wimpod’s offensive moveset was only limited to Physical Attacks, so that was out of the question. The other way was… continuous damage over time. A good example would be sandstorm. The main idea was having an additional factor that would destroy a fixed percentage of Hippowdon’s health each turn, in tandem with the usual attacks from Wimpod. It was by far the most efficient way to deal with bulky Pokémon in general, to speed up the killing process. Of course, sandstorm itself would not actually work on the Ground-type Hippowdon… but fortunately for Yuri, Wimpod had a similar – if not better – move in its arsenal that would also do the trick!

“Toxic!” The percentage-based damage that increased every turn… a surefire way to wear an annoying opponent down!

“Not so fast!” said Leo. “Come back, Hippowdon! And go, Gabite!” 

A switch! It was a reasonable move from the Gym Leader – anticipating another incoming Water-type Waterfall from Wimpod and using the part Dragon-type Gabite to absorb it as a neutral hit. But… that was no big deal! Yuri certainly would not mind a badly poisoned Gabite – or a badly poisoned anything, really – but to his ultimate dismay, Wimpod… missed!

Yuri clenched his teeth in frustration. He knew about Toxic’s lower-than-average Accuracy, and yet… was his mind playing tricks on him or did Gabite dodge that attack way too easily?

_No time to hesitate. Gabite’s not a tank. It should go down pretty easily… or easier than Hippowdon, at least. All we need to do is attack, attack, attack!_ “Wimpod! Waterfall!” yelled Yuri, as Wimpod launched another torrential jet of water at its new opponent. This time round, the attack struck Gabite right in the jaw. It was pretty decent damage, but Gabite was unfazed. With a deep snarl, the Cave Pokémon crouched down in position… and in a blink of an eye, dashed headfirst towards its opponent, leaving a flurry of sand and rocks behind it. 

“Dragon Claw!” shouted Leo. 

The fins on Gabite’s arms began to sharpen and glow purple with mystic energy. Leaping into the air, Gabite swung its newly formed blades viciously down onto Wimpod, taking it down to a little less than a third of its health. Wimp Out activated, and the Turn Tail Pokémon scrambled back to its Poké Ball immediately, not wanting to face Gabite’s ferocious wrath any longer.

_Perfect timing._ Now, Yuri had a free switch into Gabite. And he knew just who to send in. 

“Go, Luxio!”

“An Electric-type?” questioned Leo. “Interesting choice! Then you know what’s coming – Gabite, Earthquake!”

“Luxio… do your thing!”

Earthquake – the most infamous Ground-type move. With a base power of 100, not only did it hit extremely hard, it also hit with virtually zero drawbacks. It was the quintessential Physical Attack, a staple on virtually every _good_ team. A Ground-type team, above all, _would_ come equipped with Earthquake ten out of ten times, and thus, a Trainer facing a Ground-type team _should_ be prepared for a barrage of Earthquake attacks. He had no reason not to be. It was one of those moves that had defined the Pokémon battling scene ever since… forever.

Luxio was prepared. Yuri made sure of it. “Eat your Shuca Berry, now!!!” 

The Spark Pokémon did as it was told, gobbling its held Berry down in one swift gulp. _Alright,_ _Luxio, now_ _brace yourself! It’s coming!_ Gabite raised its arms and the ground trembled a little beneath Yuri’s feet… before long, the tremors started to increase exponentially in magnitude, becoming more and more intense… more and more violent… resulting in a huge fissure in the middle of the battlefield! As the ground continued to shake, sand started pouring into the crevice, and the rocks eventually followed. They rolled and tumbled all over Luxio… yet after all that was said and done… Luxio survived the attack!

“Wow!” Victor exclaimed. “What a powerful Earthquake! I bet it’s boosted by a Soft Sand, or something! Even after Intimidate, I bet there’s still a chance that Luxio gets knocked out in one hit! Luckily though, thanks to the Shuca Berry, Luxio’s survivability is guaranteed!” 

A smug grin crept onto Yuri’s face. All according to plan. Holding the Shuca Berry halved the damage of the first super-effective Ground-type move that hit. It was the best way to mitigate the weaknesses Luxio and Torracat had!

“And now Luxio has a perfect window of opportunity to attack!” said Yuuri. “No doubt about it, against the Dragon-and-Ground-type Gabite, Yurio’s going to go for the…”

“Ice Fang!!!” Four times the weakness. Four times the pain! _No way Gabite lives through this. Absolutely no way._ Luxio went in for the kill _–_  

– and missed!

“WHAAAAT???” Yuri felt like tearing his face out. Ice Fang had 95% Accuracy! Ninety-five!!! Sure, it was 5% short of a full hundred, which meant that the chance of missing was still _there_ … but really??? Now of all times??? Was this his fate? To get screwed over by luck at least once every major battle? Because Yuri could have sworn, this was definitely becoming a recurring trend…

…or was it? Was it truly a 5% that had come true a few seconds ago? Because the way Yuri saw it, Gabite had been avoiding the attacks with way too much finesse… being completely at home in the desert battlefield environment, almost becoming one with the sandstorm… deliberately lingering in areas where the sand was more densely packed, where normal vision was more obscured than usual… as if using the sand as a cover… as a _veil_ …

Realization struck him like a ten-ton Wood Hammer. “It’s Sand Veil! Gabite’s Ability that boosts its evasion in a sandstorm! No wonder my attacks aren’t landing like they should!” Instead of a 95%, Ice Fang’s Accuracy all this while had been a mere 76%. In other words, a 5% chance to miss had been raised to a whopping 24%. The odds were hugely stacked against Yuri, and so long as the sandstorm still existed, there was not a damned thing he could do about it! 

“That’s my Gabite!” said Leo. “Your dodging skills are on point today! Now let’s finish this! Earthquake!”

With the Shuca Berry used up, Luxio would take the full brunt of the Earthquake’s crazy damage. This was it. The end of the line. Yuri had his one window of opportunity and he lost it. His opponent was just one step ahead of him again. And now… now it was time he paid the price!

Gabite launched its devastating attack once more. Yuri knew what was coming; he knew how badly he was going to get owned in the next few seconds… yet he forced himself to watch. He forced himself to watch as his partner became subjected to the mercy of the earth beneath it, constantly bombarded by sand and rocks left right and center. He got ready his next Poké Ball… _wait! What’s this? Holy shit! It can’t be! Luxio… Luxio’s struggling to stand up! It survived the hit… with only 1 HP!_

“Incredible!” gushed Victor, his eyes sparkling with delight. “I can’t believe it! That’s absolutely, definitely, one hundred percent the work of Affection! Luxio endured the hit… because it knew how disappointed Yurio must have felt when it missed that decisive Ice Fang! It wanted to prove its strength to Yurio! It… didn’t want to see Yurio sad!”

“Luxio! Was that… true?”

“Luuuu…” The Spark Pokémon smiled weakly at its Trainer in reply.

“You know… that was extremely cheesy of you,” sighed Yuri. “But still… thanks. You created this second chance for me. Now, let’s make the full use of it! Luxio, Ice Fang!”

This time, Yuri was fully prepared for any Sand Veil shenanigans. _The age-old adage: against a slippery opponent, aim not for it, but where it is going to be!_ Within seconds, Luxio spotted a silhouette of Gabite standing warily in the sand, poised for the counter-dodge. It lunged at the silhouette –

– and Gabite evaded it as anticipated, concealing itself within the sandstorm and attempting to escape to the right…

…but of course, Luxio knew better this time round than to throw its whole entire body weight forward like it would during a normal attack. Almost instantaneously, it swerved to the right and chomped directly onto Gabite with its frost-covered teeth, taking the Cave Pokémon out in a heartbeat! But the turn had not ended just yet. There was still a sandstorm, petering out but no less deadly, and it was able to chip away Luxio’s remaining hit point. Luxio fainted onto the ground, unable to battle… but it did its job; it did its job well, and Yuri was proud of it. 

“So, a double elimination, huh? Not bad!” said Leo, folding his hands across his chest. “Not a bad performance at all! But still… that was a little too close for comfort, don't you think? Feel like giving up yet?”

“Are you kidding me?” scoffed Yuri. “Giving up??? Not in my book! In fact, brace yourself… for we’re just getting warmed up!”

“That’s the spirit!”

Two Pokémon left on each side. This Gym Battle was far from over.


	19. It’s Your Time To Shine! (Part II)

The Gym Battle against Leo started off with a double elimination, Luxio for Gabite, but Yuri and his Pokémon were just getting warmed up. 

And now, they were about to turn up the heat…!

“Go! Torracat!”

“Go! Hippowdon!”

Each side had two Pokémon left – Yuri with Torracat and Wimpod, and Leo with Hippowdon and a second Pokémon, yet to be revealed. Hippowdon was no doubt, Leo’s ace – a beefy tank that could not only set up the sandstorm weather condition to wear down its opponents, but also dish out some powerful attacks of its own as well. It was a major threat indeed, and just too damned difficult to kill, but Yuri sort of had an idea of how to counter it. _Since Wimpod’s Physical Waterfall didn’t work too well, I’ll just have to aim for its Special Defense with Torracat. Which means it’s time for me to bring out the…_

“… Fire Blast!”

At once, Torracat launched a star-shaped blast of scorching fire at Hippowdon. The attack blazed more intensely than any Flamethrower, incinerating everything in its path… except for Hippowdon unfortunately, who was still in a rather comfortable spot with around half health left. But Yuri was far from disheartened. It was a considerable improvement over Wimpod’s previous attempt, and he would take it any day of the week. Furthermore, just like Luxio, Torracat was holding the Shuca Berry as well. It would survive an incoming Earthquake just fine, and one more Fire Blast next turn would be all it needed to finally take down this behemoth of a Hippowdon once and for all!

“Yurio’s definitely not one to hold back when it comes to offense,” remarked Victor. “Replacing Flamethrower with Fire Blast for the extra firepower certainly paid off for him! After all, when it comes to dealing with opponents who can potentially kill you in one shot, what better way than to kill them first? That must be what was going through his mind when he was preparing for this match!” 

“And not only that…” said Yuuri. “Look at Hippowdon now! I think… it’s Burned!”

The Fire Blast attack was long over, yet flames still lingered in a circle around Hippowdon, no matter how hard it tried to extinguish them using the surrounding sand. “You’re right, Yuuri!” exclaimed Victor. “Hippowdon’s definitely Burned! It’s going to take some damage every turn… oh, but it looks like it’s holding the Leftovers for sustain, so the HP loss is going to be neutralized. What a pity!”

“But you know that’s not the main issue,” replied Yuuri. And Yuri could not help but break into a smile. The best thing about burning an opponent is that its Attack stat gets halved, so long as the status condition remains. Which meant that any subsequent Earthquake from Hippowdon would not hurt as much anymore! It meant that his Pokémon might be able to survive a little longer in the battlefield for the counterattack – and that might be what Yuri needed to tip the scales in his favor! 

Leo was predictably _not_ happy about this turn of events. He ordered another Earthquake from Hippowdon, but that only took Torracat down to around two-thirds of its health. Torracat launched another Fire Blast in response, hoping for the kill… but the Gym Leader was not about to let his best Pokémon collapse just like that. 

“Hippowdon, switch out, come back! Go, Drilbur!”

_So this is Leo’s final Pokémon!_ Drilbur was considerably shorter than Hippowdon, with a long white snout and a stout black body with blue stripes. Anticipating Torracat’s attack, it crouched down immediately, pressing its body flat against the sand. The Fire Blast went whizzing past it, eventually dissipating into nothing amidst the sandstorm.

“No!” Yuri cried out.            

“Awesome job, Drilbur!” cheered Leo. “With greater power comes lower Accuracy! Don’t you dare assume that you’re going to land every single Fire Blast of yours!” 

Yuri clenched his fists angrily. “That was a fluke! Totally a fluke! I assure you; the next hit’s going to connect, and you’re going to feel what it’s like to be barbecued! Torracat, Fire Blast, once more!”

“Drilbur, Earthquake!”

The Mole Pokémon was as fast as a bullet. Before Torracat could even do anything, the ground was already shaking like crazy, and rocks were rolling all around; before Yuri knew it, Torracat was already knocked out cold! 

The boy could only stare in shock as his partner collapsed onto the soft sand. That… was brutal. _Impossible_. He had seen Drilbur – battled against his fair share of them – but not a single one of them was this… stupid fast! With Torracat’s level advantage and its above-average base Speed, he was so sure that his partner would get off its attack before its opponent, yet…! 

“That was the Sand Rush Ability, wasn’t it?” said Otabek. “It doubles Drilbur’s Speed in a sandstorm. No matter who Yuri sends out, Drilbur will outspeed it…” 

“… and kill it,” Victor finished. “No questions asked. Look at Drilbur. It doesn’t look as energetic as it was at the start. No doubt about it, it’s holding the Life Orb! It’s built to destroy its opponents with a single shot! Trading durability for the extra damage, combined with its lightning-fast speed… this Drilbur is a sand sweeper in every sense of the word!” 

“Yurio! Hang in there!” screamed Yuuri at the top of his lungs.

To Yuri’s own surprise, his despair did not last for long. At last… everything was falling into place. “I get it now,” he said triumphantly. “I know your strategy now! Your entire team is crafted around Hippowdon and its Ability! Gabite and Drilbur are not just any random Ground-type Pokémon! Rather, they’re specially selected because they perform _better_ in sand than their opponents, thanks to their Abilities! Hippowdon will come in and set up Sand Stream at every opportunity it can get. It has to be tanky in order to survive a couple of hits, ensuring a constant source of sandstorm. And Gabite and Drilbur… they’re the damage dealers. Their job is to use the boosts granted to them by the sandstorm by Sand Veil or Sand Rush, in order to make quick work of their opponents! Specifically, me!”

“Bingo!” exclaimed Leo. “And this, my friend, is what our ‘synergy’ is all about! Sure, Gabite and Drilbur are both strong in their own rights, but without the presence of a sandstorm, their Abilities are pretty much useless! It’s only with the help of Hippowdon that they get to showcase their true potential! Be it dance or battling, it’s all the same! Individuals that complement each other… moves that sync with one another… it’s all about combining different aspects of strength to create something much bigger than each of us! Something even more amazing!” 

On one hand, there was the Gym Leader, picking and training the perfect Pokémon team for his well-planned-out strategy, based on some pre-determined criteria. And then there was Yuri, stuck with a starter, an accidental capture, and a burning building survivor. _But somehow… I’m okay with that. I’m totally okay with that! Because if I’m truly skilled as a Trainer… I can find a formula for victory using the Pokémon I love, no matter how difficult it is! If we're truly strong as a team… we can find a way to win our battles together, no matter what our opponent throws at us!_

_And… it’s not like my team doesn’t mesh well together either! It’s just that… our brand of ‘synergy’ is the exact the opposite of Leo’s! Right from the very beginning, it has always been about knowing the best strategy I can execute, based on the strengths and capabilities of my Pokémon team! I have Wimpod’s Water typing to cover Torracat’s weakness to Ground. I have Torracat’s Special Attacks to cover Wimpod’s inability to break through Hippowdon’s Defense. But more importantly, my Pokémon and I… we are united as one in our hearts and our minds by the same goal – our singular goal!_

“Yurio… seems more fired up than usual,” observed Yuuri. 

“Of course he’s fired up!” said Victor. “It’s going to be a nail-biting fight to the finish, I can feel it!”

The blonde boy sent out Wimpod onto the battlefield and gave Torracat a Max Revive. It was the only Max Revive he had in his inventory, purchased with the last of his savings, and if there were anyone on his team who should have it, it would be the designated Hippowdon slayer for sure. Seizing its chance, Drilbur launched a Rock Slide, sending down a shower of jagged rocks onto Wimpod… but luckily, Wimpod managed to dodge all of them by burrowing into the sand and running away!

“Nice, Wimpod!” said Yuri. _And_ _it’ll be great if you could dodge the next one too! Get ready…!_  

“Drilbur, Rock Slide, again!” commanded Leo.

The Mole Pokémon raised its arms, causing yet another huge pile of rocks to hover directly above Wimpod. It slammed down its arms…

“Now!!!” 

… and the rocks fell along with its motion, like tiny fragments of a broken meteoroid falling from the sky. But Wimpod’s senses were on full alert, allowing it to roll away just in the nick of time! Whether it was Rock Slide’s innately lower Accuracy, or its Trainer’s Affection-fueled shout that did it, it did not matter at all (though Yuri liked to think it was the latter). What mattered at the end of the day was that Wimpod was still alive, still alive to attack! 

“Wimpod, Waterfall!” 

Still reeling from its failed Rock Slide, Drilbur did not see Wimpod coming until it was smacked with an ultra-high-pressure blast of water straight to the face. Yet despite its squishiness and weakness to Water, it was still standing, with critical health left!           

“Damn!” said Otabek. “Yuri almost had it!” 

“Yet this puts Leo in an interesting situation,” said Yuuri. “The most obvious move is of course, to go for the Rock Slide again and shut down Wimpod for good… but if Wimpod manages to dodge again, like it did the previous two times, Drilbur is finished! Which means that Leo would only have a Burned Hippowdon left, who’ll most likely be easily finished off by Torracat! I don’t know… if it’s worth to take this risk!”

“If I were Leo, I would switch out Drilbur into Hippowdon, so that my sweeper is guaranteed its survival,” said Otabek. “Hippowdon will definitely live through a Waterfall or two from Wimpod. Leo can use this chance to top Drilbur up with a Potion or something, so that it’ll be ready to attack when the time is ripe.” 

“You’re absolutely right, Otabek!” said Victor. “But let’s see how this plays out!”

Just like Otabek had predicted, Leo went for the switch. Yuri, however, instead of going for a Waterfall, took the chance to heal Wimpod from one fifth of its health to full with a Super Potion. Leo followed suit on his next turn, using a Super Potion of his own onto Drilbur. So it was a completely healthy Wimpod versus a half-health Hippowdon on the battlefield right now, and it was time for Yuri’s turn to attack! A swift Waterfall took Hippowdon down to a quarter of its health, bringing it one more hit from lethality.

“Alright!” said Leo. “Looks like it’s time for me to bust out the Hyper Potion! This baby heals for a grand total of 200 HP! It’s perfect for high-health tanks!” 

“Doesn’t matter!” scoffed Yuri. “Hippowdon’s going to go down eventually, anyway! Wimpod, good job, come back! Go, Torracat!”

Thanks to the Max Revive, Torracat was brought back to life with full health. First a Fire Blast, then surviving an Earthquake, followed by another Fire Blast. If Torracat could execute these three steps without a hitch, Hippowdon would be deader than dead. This was his second chance!

_Step one!_ “Fire Blast!!!” 

“Dodge it!!!” yelled Leo.

Yuri started to wonder how a big and heavy Pokémon like Hippowdon could move out of the way fast enough to evade a Fire Blast, but then it hit him – if Torracat’s _knew_ that a dodge was coming, it would no doubt be inclined to aim its attack a little to the side in an attempt to strike where Hippowdon _might_ be, because… well, the age-old adage, right? So all Hippowdon had to do was stay where it was, and the Fire Blast would miss anyway! Yuri opened his mouth to warn Torracat… but it was too late. The attack did not connect. Hippowdon received no damage.

The Heavyweight Pokémon countered with an Earthquake, but thanks to its Burn, the attack did not manage to output enough damage to kill Torracat this turn. Of course, with only one quarter of its health remaining, Torracat would be dead next turn if Yuri did not do something…! 

The Fire Cat Pokémon did not _look_ dying, though. It was still poised for attack, and there was still fire in its eyes, burning bright and strong…

_Wait… all this heat surrounding Torracat… I’ve seen this somewhere before. My most recent battle against Otabek! It’s none other than Torracat’s Ability, Blaze! I’ve seen the crazy shit a mere Flamethrower can do with that activated! So, right now, with a whole lot more attacking power… we might actually be able to knock out Hippowdon after all!_

“Come on, Torracat!” screamed Yuri. “You can do it! Blaze-boosted STAB Fire Blast, let’s go!!!”

\---

 

That was… undeniably the most powerful Fire-type attack Yuri had ever seen in his whole life.

He glanced back at Victor and Yuuri in the spectator stands. With their Go-Goggles and masks on, it was hard to deduce the expressions on their faces, but Yuri liked to imagine them to be something of a mix of shock and awe and ohmygod-what-the-hell-that-was-too-amazing-we-need-to-defend-our-positions-from-this-kid-right-now. 

(Deep down, he knew they had probably seen attacks a hundred times more impressive than his before.) 

The Blaze-boosted Fire Blast was white-hot and all-consuming, creating a gigantic blistering explosion the moment it came into direct contact with Hippowdon. Sand and rocks were flying and colliding everywhere, and even through all that protection on his face, Yuri could _taste_ the sheer force of that impact. 

He waited with bated breath for the battlefield to clear. The first thing he saw was Hippowdon… very… much… alive.

_EHHHH!!!??????_

On hindsight, to hundred-to-zero a tank without a super-effective move was a tall order to fulfill, if not, nigh impossible, but… Yuri had hope, he really had _hoped_ …! 

Then there was the all-too-familiar shaking sensation from Earthquake, and Torracat was out. 

… 

“Go! Go! Yu-ri-o! Go! Go! Yu-ri-o!” came the cheers from the spectator stands.

Yuri took a deep breath as he recalled his fainted Pokémon. He knew that it was no time to panic _._ After that Fire Blast, Hippowdon had only a quarter of its health left. And Leo only had like what, two Potions left? He could not keep healing Hippowdon forever. Eventually, they would be able to wear it down…

_… and then what?_

And then… Drilbur would enter the field… and it would be a clean sweep for Leo. Every single one of his Pokémon would just fall to the Sand Rush-Earthquake combo… _unless, of course, I manage to get rid of the sandstorm… so that Sand Rush’s effects do not apply. Then my Pokémon would be the ones outspeeding Drilbur, and taking it down would be a piece of cake._  

Realization struck Yuri like a bolt of lightning. This was it. This was his win condition for this fight!

If he remembered correctly, this current sandstorm would fade next turn. Of course, there was a likelihood that Hippowdon would come equipped with the Sandstorm attack in addition to its Ability, forcing him to endure yet another five more turns of sand. So all he needed to do was to take down Hippowdon at the _exact_ end of those five turns, so that the threat of a sand-powered Drilbur would be eliminated forever. It would require a lot of luck and precise timing of attacks, but for some reason… Yuri was confident that he could pull this off! 

Yuri gripped his final Poké Ball in his hand. _Alright! This is the final stretch! My plans have failed so many times within the course of this battle… but not this time! I’ll make sure of it!_

“Go, Wimpod, I know you can do it!” 

“Hippowdon, take a Super Potion!” 

“Wimpod, Waterfall!”

The Super Potion by Leo was an obvious move. It made sure that Hippowdon survived a Waterfall from Wimpod, so that it could set up with Sandstorm next turn – marking the start of the five-turn countdown. “Then, Leo would want Yuri to get rid of Hippowdon as soon as possible,” Victor explained. “This is so that Drilbur gets a free switch in to kill Wimpod in return.” 

Of course, Yuri was having none of it. But the nagging question remained: did Leo know that Yuri knew what he wanted to do? Did he know what _Yuri_ wanted to do? Yuri desperately hoped not.

The sandstorm died away, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, Yuri could breathe fresh air again – but of course, that was only temporary, as Leo immediately ordered a Sandstorm from Hippowdon. _That’s the start of the first turn, he reminded himself. Four more turns of torture and it’s over!_

Turn one – a Waterfall to take Hippowdon down to a quarter of its health. _Leo’s probably thinking that I’m going to kill Hippowdon next turn. But that’s exactly what I want you to think, sucker!_

Turn two – a Leech Life to deal as little damage as possible. Hippowdon went for the Stone Edge – the full offensive since heals were out of the question now. _Dodge it, Wimpod! Dodge it like your life depends on it, because it absolutely does!_

“Wimpod evaded the attack!” exclaimed Yuuri. “Just three more turns left! Oh wow, this is so nerve-wracking!”

Turn three – Spikes, just to stall out the fight even more. _With Hippowdon at such a low health now, I’ll kill it with either of my attacking moves so those are a no-go. And of course Hippowdon’s using Stone Edge again. Too bad Wimpod didn’t dodge this time round, but thank god it’s still alive. I can use a Super Potion next turn, but –_

Did Leo know what Yuri wanted to do? Yuri desperately hoped not… but in all honesty, this battle plan of his was getting really, really obvious. And a Gym Leader was _not_ an idiot. There was no way Leo would let Yuri get his way at this crucial juncture. Which meant…

“Hippowdon, switch out, come back!” Leo yelled. “Go, Drilbur!” 

_Checkmate_. 

“Wimpod, Waterfall!!!”

Everything Wimpod trained for had led to this moment! With a single shot, Drilbur was out like a light!

“Incredible!” gasped Victor. “So many mind games! Leo probably figured Yurio out the moment Wimpod went for the Leech Life instead of Waterfall, and the Spikes just confirmed his suspicions all the more! He was totally expecting Yurio to follow through with his stall strategy – probably with a heal since Wimpod was low after that Stone Edge – and that prompted him to go for what he thought was a safe switch! He didn’t expect the attack – but that was exactly what Yurio did! And boy, was it super satisfying!” 

“Your move now, Leo,” taunted Yuri, trying his damndest to suppress his bubbling excitement. _We did it, Wimpod! We did it, we did it, we did it!_

“Guess I should’ve seen this coming,” said Leo, folding his arms across his chest. “But it’s not over yet! Go, Hippowdon!”

“Super Potion!” yelled both Trainers at the same time. _The final stretch of the final stretch._ _These next turns are going to determine who wins and who loses. And we’re not going to let up one bit, are we, Wimpod?_ _So_ _let’s give it all we’ve got! This is your moment! It’s your time to shine!_  

“Wimpod, Waterfall!” 

“Hippowdon, Slack Off!” 

Waterfall took Hippowdon down around a third of its health, but Slack Off immediately topped it back to above half. “Waterfall again!” commanded Yuri. So in the end, it was back to the old drawing board of not having enough damage against Hippowdon, unless… “If you can get a crit ,Wimpod, it’ll be awesome!”

The Turn Tail Pokémon launched another Waterfall… and it was a critical hit! Poor, poor Hippowdon only had a quarter of its health left now. It counted with a Stone Edge, but Wimpod avoided the attack like a pro, like it had been practicing its dodging all its life (which it certainly had!)

“Hippowdon! No!” cried Leo.

“Amazing… Yurio and Wimpod are completely in sync right now,” said Yuuri. “That critical hit Wimpod landed wasn’t due to pure luck! I think it’s because… Yurio wished it to happen!”

“Is that… even possible?” asked Otabek. 

“Yes, of course!” said Victor. “This is, no doubt… Affection at its peak!”

Leo had no Potions left. Hippowdon was simply not fast enough to get off a Slack Off. It was over. “Wimpod, Waterfall!!!”

With an unrelenting gush of water, and with all its power, Wimpod tackled headfirst into Hippowdon, smacking it straight into its mouth. Finally… at long last… down went the Heavyweight Pokémon, collapsing onto the sand with a resounding crash. Behind his mask, Yuri was grinning like an idiot.

“Music to my ears.”

\---

 

It was almost midnight. Yuri left the Grimmetts City Gym with farewells and well wishes, promises of a rematch, and a brand new Tectonic Badge in his badge case.

“This calls for a celebration!” said Victor. “I know just the –”

“Of course you do,” said Yuri. “Too bad it’s closed! Don’t you know what time it is?” 

“Hey… trust me, alright?” said Victor with a wink. “You’ll be amazed at what’s still open at this hour!” 

With the Champion leading the way, the four of them made their way to their mysterious destination. The streets were noticeably emptier than they were in the afternoon, but as the group turned a corner to an oddly familiar street…

_Holy crap??? What’s with all these people???_

Right in front of them was the longest queue Yuri had ever seen – longer than a full-grown Steelix (or so it seemed), spanning almost three entire buildings. Victor immediately stood in position at the back of the queue and motioned for the rest to follow.

“Are you insane?” gawked Yuri. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to waste my time waiting in a queue like this! It’s going to be next year by the time it gets to our turn!” 

“Oh, come on Yurio, it’s not that bad!” grinned Victor.

Before Yuri could come back with a retort, a young lady in an apron appeared out of nowhere next to them. “Hi! Welcome to _The Daily Grind_! While waiting, please take a look at our menu… ah! Champion Victor! And Elite Four Yuuri, too! And… the other two people who were with them this morning!”

“Hey!” snapped Yuri. “I have a name too, you know!”

“She… probably doesn’t want to remember it,” said Otabek.

Yuri took a second look at the lady… and surprise, surprise, it turned out to be the barista he had almost murdered earlier in the day! “Holy hell? Why are you still here? Since when did you work the night shift? Since when was there even a night shift???”

“Since today!” the barista replied cheerfully. “And it’s all thanks to you guys!” She pointed at a tall building across the road and Yuri’s eyes followed. It was none other than the photograph they had taken together in the café – blown up a million times into an enormous banner that covered the entire front of the building! _The Daily Grind: Pokémon League approved!!!_ was the caption, in big block letters. 

“I didn’t know they printed banners this fast,” remarked Otabek.

“There’s more of that,” said the barista. “One on every other street, to be exact!”

“You guys… blew your entire café budget on this, didn’t you?” groaned Yuri.

“We certainly did!” said the barista. “Now we have to work around the clock to earn back the money! No regrets, though! Judging from this turnout… it looks like our ad campaign’s a huge success!”

“I’m so glad things worked out!” said Victor with a warm smile. “By the way, how long are we going to wait here for?”

“Approximately two hours.” 

“Wow… that’s a bit on the long side, huh?” pondered the Champion. “Oh well, maybe next time then! See you around!” And he turned around and skipped away.

It took Yuri, Yuuri and Otabek no time at all to catch up with him. 

“What the hell was that about?” demanded Yuri.

“I didn’t know the wait time would be so long!” said Victor with a sheepish shrug.

“Really??? You couldn’t tell by… I don’t know, looking at the freaking queue???”

“Well, I had my suspicions –”

“No, you totally didn’t! You thought, ‘it’s not that bad’! How???”

“I guess I couldn’t tell after all, huh?” laughed Victor. “In any case, we still need to celebrate your win, Yurio! How about an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet tomorrow? It’ll be nothing short of a banquet!” 

“Sounds like a plan!” said Yuri. “And after that… we can head off to Hermosa Town for my fourth Gym Badge!” 

“Sounds like a plan!” 

The night passed and a new day came, and the next chapter of Yuri’s Pokémon journey was about to begin.


	20. Up The Mountain Road

On this particular day, in a quiet cavern somewhere within Mt. Hermosa, wild Woobat were dropping left and right. No doubt about it, this was the work of one Trainer – Yuri Plisetsky.

“Luxio, Wild Charge!”

A crackle of electricity, and another Woobat bit the dust. _That’s nineteen so far,_ thought the blonde boy, his heart palpitating wildly in his chest. _Five more to go and I beat Otabek’s record!_

That was the sort of thing that just seemed to naturally happen once a rival decided to tag along on his journey. _Everything_ became a competition. From who could finish their food the fastest, to who could drink more glasses of juice, to who could defeat more Woobat in twenty minutes, Yuri had a burning _need_ to be better than Otabek Altin at everything they did. This time round though, it was out-in-the-open official, and not just merely Yuri’s petty one-sided attempt to attain some form of affirmation. Somehow, for some reason, the Champion Victor Nikiforov thought that it would be a great idea to combine Yuri’s daily level grinding routine with a fun challenge of sorts in order to, in his own words, ‘make our journey to Hermosa Town more memorable’. And Yuri wholeheartedly agreed. It was a million times more exciting than his usual recommendations of scenery watching or photo taking, at least. Besides… nothing beat ‘memorable’ than being able to trash his rival upfront – and gloat in his face thereafter. 

Of course, the first step was actually winning the challenge…

“Luxio, Wild –”

“And… time’s up!” said Victor. “Nineteen Woobat. Not bad, but not enough! Which means the winner is… Otabek!”

“What?” screeched Yuri. “This is plain unfair! If Otabek’s last battle wasn’t a horde –”

“– he would have defeated _twenty_ Woobat, and won anyway! Better luck next time, Yurio!”

Yuri clenched his fists. _Fine._ He would let Otabek have this one. It would be the last one Otabek was going to get.

“Hey! Don’t worry about it too much, alright?” said Elite Four Yuuri Katsuki. “What matters most is that both Luxio and Golbat gained a ton of levels and experience from this! Everything else is secondary!”

“Whatver you say!” said Yuri. “I don't care anymore. What’s next?”

Otabek whipped out his PokéNav Plus. “Hey, I don’t know if you guys know this, but… according to the map, this isn’t the direction we’re supposed to be going. This inner cavern path of Mt. Hermosa connects four towns – Grimmetts City to the south, Molineux Town to the east, Eglanteria Town to the west, and Napoleon City to the northwest. But if our destination is Hermosa Town… the direction we should be going is… up!”

Yuri’s jaw dropped. “Up? You don’t mean…” 

“Yup!” said Victor with a wink. “Hermosa Town’s located right at the top of Mt. Hermosa! It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Then why the hell did you even bring us here in the first place?”

“Training, of course! This whole place is teeming with wild Pokémon, ready to spring out at us at any moment! Also, there aren’t going to be as many training spots once we reach the town – unless you count that one cave at the back with all that Drampa in it, but at your current stage, you should probably forget about even trying to go there. Which means you’re stuck with here, and it’ll be too much of a hassle to climb up and down every time you feel like leveling your Pokémon –”

“W-wait,” sputtered Yuri. “Climb???” 

“How else are we going to reach the summit?”

The high-pitched noises that came out of Yuri’s mouth were incomprehensible.

“Nah, I’m just kidding,” laughed the Champion. “We’re going to ride the cable car!”

\---

 

Hours passed and Yuri and the others finally emerged from the cavern, ready to head towards Hermosa Town – via cable car, of course. The first thing Yuri noticed was the sign on the station door, with the dreaded words:

‘ _Closed for maintenance’_.

“Oh well,” said Otabek. “I guess we have no choice, huh?” He reached into his knapsack and pulled out a slew of specialized climbing equipment that made Yuri’s eyes pop out of their sockets. Specialized climbing shoes, specialized climbing gloves, specialized climbing rope… talk about crazy-prepared! If there were a competition to see who could climb to the top of Mt. Hermosa first – and there totally was as far as Yuri was concerned – Yuri would just flat out lose, no questions asked.

And the sad truth was… even if Otabek decided not to use any of his fancy equipment, there was no way in hell Yuri would win a race of physical prowess against him. In fact, he would be lucky if he actually survived the climb at all, without his limbs suddenly deciding to give up on him halfway through, like they _almost_ did during the army-crawl in Crystalline Cave, or like they _actually_ did way too many times to count during rehab. Sure, he was way past that stage already, but somehow, the fear still lingered. After all, one loose grip or one wrong footing could lead him plunging five thousand or so feet to his death…

Yuuri seemed to have noticed his uneasiness. “What’s wrong, Yurio?”

“Nothing!” said Yuri immediately. “It’s just a silly mountain! I’m not scared, or anything!”

The Elite Four member smiled and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry –” 

“I’m not worried!” 

“We aren’t _really_ going to climb it!”

“Huh?” Otabek burst out. He stared agape at all the stuff he just laid out onto the floor.

“I’m sorry, Otabek!” said Yuuri. “There’s already a road pre-built in the mountain by the residents of Hermosa Town… so instead of going straight up, we’re going round and round until we reach the top! I wanted to tell you, but… well… I’m kind of curious to see the stuff you brought…”

“That’s okay,” said Otabek, putting his things back one by one.

“Why do you even have all this cool gear in the first place?” asked Victor.

“I… like to be always prepared.”

“ _This_ prepared?”

“And… well… I also like mountain climbing. A lot.”

Victor’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Wow! It’s not everyday that we see a mountain enthusiast that _isn’t_ a Hiker! Mt. Coronet of Sinnoh… Mt. Moon of Kanto… Mt. Hokulani of Alola… you must have visited them all!”

“N-no,” said Otabek, a little taken aback by the Champion’s sudden burst of enthusiasm. “But… I would really love to, someday.”

“Then you absolutely _need_ to visit Mt. Hokulani,” said Victor. “Yuuri and I went there last year! The night view was just absolutely stunning…”

Without realizing it, they had already started walking up the mountain road.

Yuri quickly followed them. Thank god the ascent ended up not being as nightmarish as he initially imagined. _I can totally do this. I’ve come a long way since my bedridden post-coma rehab days. And ever since Victor and Yuuri, I’ve been walking every day instead using my skates! I’m totally prepped for this! It’ll be easy._

He was dead wrong. 

Ten minutes passed and Yuri already felt like giving up. It turned out that he completely underestimated how unforgiving uphill roads could be. He thought that Victor would take it slow and stop once in a while to admire the view, but the Champion was actually the one in the lead, pulling way ahead as if gravity meant nothing to him. Otabek was beside him, listening to him talk about mountains, or something equally as lame. Yuuri was a little behind them, not because he could not walk as fast, but because the mountain path was not wide enough to fit three people comfortably. And to his chagrin, Yuri was last again, lagging further and further behind the others.

Thoughts were running wild in his mind. ‘Dying’ could aptly describe most of them. He entertained them, so long as they distracted him from the complete mess that was his situation right now. His throat was dry and parched. His legs were still trudging on heavily, one after the other along the gravelly path, as if they were placed on autopilot for eternity. His right shoulder felt utterly crushed no thanks to the load of his backpack, which felt heavier and heavier as he ascended higher and higher. Yuri did not _want_ to feel any of this, but unfortunately he could, and very well indeed. Every single muscle, every single cell was throbbing in agonizing pain, shrieking for mercy like no tomorrow.

 _Arghh!!! Why am I so slow? Why are my legs so pathetic? Why am I so pathetic??? Why isn’t my stupid rehab training working???_

_…_

_Why is this mountain so tall? Why did it even exist? Whose stupid idea was it to build a stupid town on top of a stupid mountain?_

_…_

_Are we even there yet??? Why aren’t we there yet???_

He continued like this for what seemed like forever… until he turned a bend and saw Victor, Yuuri, and Otabek standing there, waiting for him. 

“Yuri… are you okay?” said Otabek. 

“Sorry, Yurio!” said Yuuri. “Sorry for leaving you behind like that! We… we didn’t notice until the last moment… until we realized you were missing. We didn’t know you were trailing so far behind us! Shall we… shall we take a break?”

And there it was. Finally. The words he so desired to hear _. But why am I being so… hesitant? Because resting means I’ve lost to Otabek, who could clearly still walk for miles? Because resting means I’m outright admitting to everyone that I’m weaker than them, that I’m weaker than what I want them to think?_

_No… that’s not all of it. Rather…_

Somehow, for some reason, seeing the faces of his cheer squad lit a spark in Yuri. A bright light of sorts… in the middle of a sea of dark, gloomy thoughts. _Go, go, let’s go, let’s go, Yurio…_ In the presence of those three, he felt immense encouragement and motivation. He wanted nothing more than to give his all, to answer their cheers. In the presence of those three, he wanted nothing more than to showcase the best self he could muster!

“I can, still go, on,” said Yuri. 

“Really?” asked the other three.

“Really,” said Yuri, with all his conviction. 

“Alright then!” said Victor. “Let’s push on! We’re almost there!”

And they walked on forward once more – albeit a little slower this time, no doubt so that Yuri could catch up with them. And Yuri walked a little faster, re-energized with newfound spirit and determination.

“This whole thing… reminds me of Crystalline Cave all over again,” said Otabek, walking up to Yuri. If you need a rest, do let us know… but you’re not tired, are you?”

“Far from it,” said Yuri, cracking a smile. “Funny how, you’re always, there with me, when I need to torture myself, with physical activity. By the way, how’s your, conversation, with Victor, just now?”

“Pretty interesting,” said Otabek. “He’s really well-traveled.” 

“I didn’t know, you’re so crazy, about mountains,” smirked Yuri. 

“It’s… just a side hobby…” 

“What, is your lifelong dream like, to climb all the mountains, in the whole, wide world?” 

“You seem out of breath. You should stop talking. It’s using up unnecessary oxygen.”

“ _You’re_ using up, unnecessary oxygen, asshole!”

Otabek sighed. “As a Trainer, you should really –”

“ _I don’t care!_ ”

The steep mountain road gradually became gentler and gentler, and before they knew it, they arrived at their destination.

\---

 

And there they were, at the peak of Mt. Hermosa. 

Yuri could not suppress the grin that was forming on his face. The fresh mountain breeze tousled his hair and caressed his cheeks, carrying away all his pain and weariness along with it. This feeling of accomplishment… did not feel like any his Gym victories… nor did it feel like shitting all over those Crimson Society Grunts… but it still felt equally as good, if not better. Every inch of his being was still fizzing with happiness, giddy with jubilation (or altitude sickness, one or the other). _Unreal._ _I just climbed a mountain_. _I just climbed an entire freaking mountain, all by myself, in one go! How awesome is that?_

The entrance to Hermosa Town lay just a few paces away from them. “Come on!” said Yuri to the others, unable to conceal his excitement. “Full speed ahead to Hermosa Town! Why are we still standing around?”

“We’re waiting for someone!” explained Yuuri. “An old friend of ours! She’s supposed to meet us here!”

“And old friend…?”

“Yuuri! Victor! It’s been a while!”

From the entrance, a young woman ran out to greet them. She was petite, with auburn hair and big, brown eyes that shone with liveliness and cheer. Perched upon her shoulder was an Espurr, a purplish-gray Pokémon with round, pink-and-purple eyes that were just as large as its Trainer’s.

“Yuko!” said Victor. “And hi there, Espurr! It’s been a while, indeed! How are you? How’s Takeshi?”

“Everything’s great!” Yuko replied with a warm smile. “We’ve never been better! And you guys must be Yuri… Plisetsky and Otabek! Nice to meet you!”

Yuri spoke up. “So, is she the old friend you guys were telling me about?”

“Old!!??” The smile on Yuko’s face evaporated, replaced by a menacing glare towards the Elite Four and the Champion. "I'm only twenty-five years old!!!"

“It’s not what you’re thinking!” Yuuri interjected frantically. “By ‘old’, I meant… we’ve known each other for a long time already, haven’t we? Please don’t get the wrong idea!”

“Relax!” giggled Yuko. “I’m just kidding! Although… I wouldn’t consider three years to be _that_ long…”

“Well… to me, it kind of is,” said Yuuri.

Victor turned to Yuri and Otabek. “Yuuri and I met Yuko and her husband Takeshi when we were in Johto. I believe it was… Bell Tower?” 

“Burned Tower!” corrected Yuko. “Then, we headed to Bell Tower together! It’s always fun to meet fellow Ibarans outside the region. But to think that we actually ran into an Elite Four member, plus our very own Champion and ambassador… up till now, I still can’t believe how lucky we were!” 

“Don’t say that!” said Victor with a twinkle in his eye. “I think Yuuri and I are lucky to have met you as well! How else are we going to have our very own Hermosa Town tour guide?”

“ _You_ need a tour guide?” said Yuri incredulously. “Isn’t the ambassador supposed to know everything about Ibara?” 

“Nope!” grinned Victor. “But you do! And Yuuri! And Otabek!”

Yuri spun round to face Yuuri. “ _You_ need a tour guide? You mean… ever since… ever since _that incident_ , you haven’t been around your own region?”

“Sadly no,” Yuuri admitted. “Not all of it, anyway. I’ve only been to my own house, the Pokémon League, and one or two major cities. So essentially… I’m just as new to Ibara as you are! I’ve been overseas all this while with Victor, remember?”

“So that means… you haven’t been to the Victor Nikiforov Museum as well!” blurted Yuri. It was… not the most sensitive response in the world, to say the least, but too bad it was the first thing he thought of after hearing Yuuri’s words. 

The Elite Four shook his head. “Nope!” 

“You heard that, Victor?” said Yuri gleefully. “You’re not allowed to mock me about not visiting your lame museum anymore, got it? When even your own date hasn’t even stepped inside it!” 

“But Yuuri hasn’t even stepped inside Arethusa Town!” retorted Victor. “You, on the other hand, have lived there all your life! You have no excuse!”

“Yes, I do! It’s that: museums are boring like hell!”

“What about shrines?” Yuko piped up.

“Shrines?”

“Oh yeah!” said Yuuri. “Yuko and Takeshi… you guys are the main caretakers of the Hermosa Shrine, aren’t you? It’s the main attraction of Hermosa Town, right?”

“Right! Every year, hundreds of people visit us to seek the blessings of The Original One – Arceus!”

 _Arceus_. It was the name spoken only in legends, revered throughout all history… through the great flow of time… through the wide expanse of space. Yuri’s eyes widened at the mere mention of it.

Yuko smiled at him. “Would you like to know more?”

\---

 

According to Yuko, in a not-quite time when nothing existed and existence meant nothing, a single Egg came into being. The egg would then hatch into Arceus, the very first Pokémon, The Original One. Arceus then went on to create Dialga and Palkia, with powers over time and space, leading to the birth of the universe itself. And somewhere in the universe, there was a tiny little speck of a planet called ‘Earth’, a planet that could support life. Arceus created Kyogre, to fill Earth’s seas. It created Groudon, to give rise to land. This ensured the survival of humans and Pokémon for millions and millions of generations to come.

“So basically, Arceus is the god of this world,” said Yuko. 

They had just set foot into Hermosa Shrine, the highest point of the highest point of Mt. Hermosa. The ground beneath them was rough and bumpy, filled entirely with stones too small to be pebbles, but too large to be sand grains. It was slightly more difficult to walk on than normal ground, yet the sensation was strangely pleasant.

There was a miniature fountain basin of sorts in a corner, with a stream of clear, sparkling water spewed out from the mouth of a stone statue carved in the likeness of Dragonair. A couple of ladles were placed beside the statue. “We're supposed to wash our hands and mouth before going to the main worship shrine,” said Yuko. She grabbed a ladle by the handle, filled it with water from the fountain, and poured it over her left hand, then her right hand. Then, she poured some water in her left hand again and rinsed her mouth, before flicking the ladle vertically upwards. The remaining water trickled down the ladle's handle, back into the fountain. “It’s an act of purification,” she explained.

Once they reached the main worship shrine, Yuko threw a coin into an offering box and bowed twice. She then clapped her hands together two times and closed her eyes. For a moment, she was silent, as if deep in thought… or prayer. After a while, she opened her eyes again, and took a final bow. 

“I’ve just made my wish to Arceus!” she declared. “You guys should do the same!”

“Alright!” said Victor. “Let’s do this!”

As the others took turns praying, Yuri turned to Yuko. “What did you wish for? Does Arceus really grant you all your wishes?”

“I wished for the health and happiness of my Pokémon, my family, and friends,” said Yuko. “So far, everyone’s safe and sound, just like they should be. So I guess Arceus is doing its job!”

“Really?” said Yuri, raising a skeptical eyebrow. 

“Well, Arceus… isn’t a miracle-worker,” said Yuko. “Yes, it is extremely powerful, powerful beyond anything, powerful beyond belief. It has to be, in order to accomplish those amazing feats I told you about just now. But ultimately, it’s still a Pokémon, like Espurr over here, like the companions in your Poké Balls right now. Which means that…”

“… it isn’t _really_ omnipotent after all, is it?” finished Yuri.

“Right,” said Yuko. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t worship it. I mean, look at everything around you! Arceus is the reason why we are alive in this world… the reason why we’re seeing through these eyes! If anything, this shrine exists to give our thanks to everything Arceus has done for us, the honor it truly deserves. As for me… making these wishes always gives me a peace of mind, like a great burden has been take off my back, somehow. Somewhere out there, even though it might not be able to fulfill them, I know that Arcues is listening to my wishes, and it makes me feel… really relieved, to know that Arceus has my back. Or something like that. It’s a complicated feeling, Yuri! I guess it’s something personal, in a sense? You should go try it out yourself and see how’s it like!”

“If you say so,” said the blonde boy. He tossed a coin into the offering box, bowed twice, clapped twice, and closed his eyes.

_Hey… Arceus… god… whatever. Make me the Champion of the Ibara League, okay? If you can. Or better yet, make me Champion of every region. Make me the strongest Trainer in the world. Umm… well, thanks in advance…?_

He opened his eyes, bowed a final time and walked away. The first thing he spotted was Otabek, standing near the Dragonair fountain. “What did you wish for?” he asked curiously. 

“Success,” was his rival’s vague reply. “What about you? Have you made your wish?”

“Not _…_ all of it,” said Yuri, with the sudden horrible realization that he had left out something tremendously important. Rushing back to the worship shrine, he squeezed his eyes shut once more. 

_Oh, and one more thing, Arceus. Please let me defeat Otabek in everything I do. That is all. I don’t care if it clashes with Otabek’s own wish. I made the wish after him. It should override whatever he told you. Thanks in advance._

“So, what did you wish for in the end?” asked Otabek.

“Success,” shrugged Yuri, a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

“Why am I not surprised?” sighed Otabek. “Hopefully for you, it works. You have a Gym Battle coming up again, don’t you?”

Yuri nodded. It was none other than the Hermosa Gym… with Guang-Hong at its helm. Words could not describe how much Yuri was itching to finally engage him in a proper one-on-one match, a match for his fourth Gym Badge. If Guang-Hong’s skills during the Battle Royale were any indication, it should be another close fight to come!

“Let’s challenge the Gym first thing tomorrow, alright?” said Victor. “Then we can focus all of our energies into enjoying what Hermosa Town has to offer!”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” said Yuri.

He left Hermosa Shrine with some sort of assurance in his heart. He wasn't too sure if his prayers worked, but if they didn't, he would reach his goals by his own means anyway, so in a sense, he was not _too_ worried. With the (possible) blessings of Arceus, plus his own resolve, it meant that the likelihood of him winning tomorrow just increased exponentially… right? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take proper breaks and hydrate frequently when exercising for long durations. Sometimes Yurio can be an idiot.
> 
> Sorry for the late update! Life has become busier and busier so there's no way I can guarantee when the next chapter will be any more. But it wouldn't be too long though! It'll probably be anywhere between 1-2 weeks.  
> As always, thank you so much for reading <3


	21. A Fighting Chance Against Those Fighting-types!

They had dinner at Yuko’s house that night, a sumptuous spread of Whirlpool Sushi, Eggant in Chili Sauce, and tons of delicious side dishes. For the past few weeks, Yuri had been eating the best of the best of what Ibara had to offer in terms of food – all thanks to Victor’s Champion recommendations – yet there was just something inexplicably comforting about home-cooked food and the atmosphere of a cozy abode. Come to think of it, the last time he had a meal like that had been… back at his own house in Arethusa Town, the day before he set off for his journey. And for the first time since that fateful day, Yuri wondered how his grandfather and their house Delcatty were doing… whether his grandfather had managed to figure out the perfect pirozhki recipe after all this while…

Oh god, he really missed his grandfather’s pirozhki. And, needless to say, his grandfather and Delcatty. He felt a twinge of guilt for being too caught up in the fun of his adventures and not thinking about them as often as he should… _but all this wouldn’t have happened if you had gotten over your technophobia and got yourself a freaking Xtransceiver so that I can contact you, Grandpa!_ Then again, even if he did, Yuri would probably find it too much of a bother to call him everyday (what was he, five?), so…

Perhaps he could Fly back home for a while, once he managed to obtain a Pokémon that could learn the move. The thought of showing off his new Pokémon and his shiny Badges to his grandfather and maybe even his neighbors was too awesome to properly imagine.

Of course, the first step was actually getting the Badges… 

“So, Hermosa Gym, huh?” said Takeshi, Yuko’s husband. He had a tall and sturdy build, with cropped spiky black hair. “It’s actually more of a dojo than a Gym, I feel! The Gym Trainers and the Pokémon train in martial arts non-stop, twenty-four seven. I’ve never, ever seen them take a day off!”

“Yeah, they’re insanely disciplined,” laughed Yuko. “Every morning, they run up and down Mt. Hermosa a couple of times to warm up. And that’s probably the least demanding of their training routine!”

Yuri almost choked on his Whirlpool Sushi. And he thought that once was already enough uphill walking to last a lifetime! 

“I guess that’s part of the reason why they’re so strong!” continued Yuko. “They might be a Fighting-type Gym Leader… but I don’t think even Espurr, with its Psychic-type moves, could take them on. And their Leader is on another level altogether!”

“Don’t worry!” Victor assured her. “Yurio here might still have light years to go in terms of physical stamina, but when it come to Pokémon battling, he’s really proven himself to be quite the Trainer to look out for!” He turned to Yuri. “And since you’ve fought against Guang-Hong before, you probably have an idea of the Pokémon and strategies he’s going to use against you, don’t you?”

“Of course! I have the perfect plan in mind!” said Yuri, the Battle Royal stomp still a fresh wound in his mind. “Just that… I need to get my hands on some items, though. And I need to change the movesets of a couple of my Pokémon…”

“No problem!” said Yuko. “We’ll bring you to the local Poké Mart first thing tomorrow morning! It has pretty much all the basic Trainer necessities… unless, of course, you’re looking for something really niche…”

Yuri gulped, because Yuko hit the nail on the head.

“Then leave it to us!” said Yuuri. “A niche battle item? Between Victor and me, we should have what you need.”

“But… three of them?" 

“Three…!?”

They set off at seven in the morning the next day, for Takeshi insisted on showing them the kind of sadistic torture Hermosa Gym put its poor Trainers through (not his exact words, of course). After the obligatory trips to the Poké Mart and the Pokémon Center, they headed straight to the town entrance. From a distance below, the rhythmic thumping of soles against granite could be heard… growing louder and louder… moments later, a whole line of tough-looking Black Belts and Battle Girls and their Fighting-type Pokémon came dashing past them, making a beeline towards the Gym. 

“They’ve been at it for three hours already!” said Takeshi. “Their strength of mind and fighting spirit can’t be rivaled anywhere else in the region!” 

“It’s really hardcore… even for me,” Otabek murmured.

“Last stretch, guys! Just a bit more to go! ” yelled the very last runner in the line, a boy with caramel hair and freckles – Guang-Hong, the Hermosa Gym Leader himself!

“Hey!” called Yuri. “I’m here for my Gym challenge! Battle me!”

Guang-Hong stopped in his tracks and swiveled his head in the direction of the voice. Upon recognizing Yuri, he turned around and ran delightedly towards him.

“Gosh, Yurio,” winced Yuuri. “That’s… still a little too direct, don’t you think? I’d have thought that after that incident with Leo and Magnitude, you’d have learnt to be more… umm… tactful?” 

“Hey, I told you, that incident was a total mistake, alright!?” snapped Yuri. “Direct and straight to the point, that’s more my style! And besides… Guang-Hong knew ages ago I’m coming for him!” 

“Nice to see you again, Yuri!” said Guang-Hong, jogging up beside the blonde boy. Despite that insane workout, the Gym Leader had nary a drop of sweat on his face. “If you’re here… that means you’ve defeated Kenjiro and Leo, right? Then let’s see if you have what it takes to win the Brawler Badge from me!”

“Of course I do! And I’m going to prove it to you, so let’s do this!”

Guang-Hong led the party to the dojo that was also his Gym. Unlike Leo’s spectacular underground arena, his was a simpler place – a wide, airy room with wooden floors and motivational banners plastered all over the walls. Right smack in the middle was the battlefield, marked out in black tape. The Gym Trainers and their Pokémon from earlier on were huddled in a corner with their towels and water bottles, but Yuri could totally imagine them sprawled out all about the Gym in pairs, sparring with each other, or practicing their punches and kicks.

“Hey… gather round everyone!” said Guang-Hong. “We’re going to have a Gym Battle!”

There were no such things as spectator stands in this Gym. Instead, the Gym Trainers assembled around the battlefield in a large circle and sat crossed-legged on the floor. The Yurio cheer squad joined them, with their banner floating in the air above… credit to Takeshi and Yuko’s entire team of six Espurr.

“Won’t they get tired of holding it up for so long?” said Yuuri.

“They’ll be fine!” said Yuko. “Never underestimate Espurr’s telekinesis! In fact, their Psychic power is so immense that the organs that emit their power need to be covered up by their ears, so that nothing leaks out!”

“Then… we’re counting on you guys, Espurr! Fly that banner high and proud for Yurio!”

With the crash of a gong, the battle between Gym Leader Guang-Hong and Pokémon Trainer Yuri Plisetsky officially began.

\---

 

“Go, Torracat!” yelled Yuri.

“Go, Mienshao!” yelled Guang-Hong. “High Jump Kick!”

The Gym Leader’s first Pokémon was stunningly fast. Fleet on its feet, Mienshao sprung into the air, spun a somersault, and dived down knee-first towards Torracat, striking it with full force. _Brace yourself, Torracat!_  thought Yuri. The attack ripped a huge hole in the wooden floorboards; the area where Torracat once stood devastated, reduced into splinters.

“Oh dear! Looks like I’m going to have to fix that,” Guang-Hong said apologetically.

“That… that’s a one-hit-KO, isn’t it?” stammered Takeshi. “There’s no way Torracat isn’t dead after an attack like that!”

“It’s a lot of damage, for sure,” said Victor. “This Mienshao… doesn’t look like the one we fought back at the Battle Royal Dome. Instead of Regenerator, it probably has the Reckless Ability! Which means that moves that do recoil damage are majorly powered up!”

“Recoil? But Mienshao still looks fine to me.”

“That’s because High Jump Kick actually landed onto Torracat! However, in the unfortunate situation where the move missed, Mienshao would be crashing onto the ground itself – and half its total health would be wiped instantly from the impact of the force! That’s the main drawback of this move – a testament to how lethal it is! In normal circumstances, not many Pokémon could take it full on and still survive… yet Yurio knows exactly how to counter it!”

From the hole in the splintered wood, a bruised and battered Torracat crawled out onto the battlefield and shook off the beating it just took. It did not have much health left – 1 HP to be exact – but it still was not out of this battle yet! Yuri licked his lips triumphantly. Everything was going according to what he had predicted! Regenerator or Reckless, he did not give a crap. With how squishy his team was, Guang-Hong’s Mienshao would kill them all in one sweep anyway. Plus, unlike Leo’s Drilbur, who was only fast in sand, Mienshao’s innate base Speed of 105 would guarantee it the first move every turn no matter the weather or terrain and, as he had learnt the painful way, there was nothing Yuri could really do about that. In short, it meant only one thing – obviously, he needed to find a way for his Pokémon to somehow survive Mienshao long enough for the counterattack.

And his genius idea? The Focus Sash, of course! The all-mighty item that would allow his Pokémon to live through a hundred-to-zero with 1 HP! It was not the easiest item to obtain in the world, but luckily for him, he had Victor and Yuuri on his side (“The Pokémon League Association actually hands out stuff like this to us Elite Four members on a regular basis!”). So that was two down… and surprise, surprise, it turned out that Otabek had one with him too (“Someone dropped it… and I picked it up.”). Which meant that all three of his Pokémon were now properly equipped and ready to take on all the high-powered attacks Guang-Hong could throw at them, to stand a fighting chance against those Fighting-types!

And the best part? At 1 HP, Torracat’s next attack was going to hurt that Mienshao like a bitch. “Blaze on, Torracat! Fire Blast!” The white-hot, star-shaped blast emerged once more from the Fire Cat Pokémon; it hit Mienshao square in the chest, consuming it in a blazing, fiery inferno. Folding his arms across his chest, Yuri waited calmly and collectedly for the smoke to clear. If everything went according to plan… 

No! Mienshao was still standing! 

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! Now the Focus Sash is gone and Torracat is going to die next turn!_

“That was a close call!” grinned Guang-Hong. “Now it’s my turn! Mienshao, Knock Off!”

“Switch out, Torracat!” said Yuri immediately, panic creeping into his veins. “Go, Luxio!”

As Luxio entered the battlefield, it was immediately greeted by two slaps from the whip-like fur on each of Mienshao hands. The blow was softened by Luxio’s Intimidate Ability… but the Focus Sash on its head unraveled and came off, disintegrating into pieces on the ground! _Well, that was a total waste of an item…_ but then again, since Luxio took damage from Knock Off, the Focus Sash would not be able to save it from Mienshao’s next attack anyway…

_Wait. Is Mienshao even going to attack next turn?_

“Guang-Hong did not order the High Jump Kick from Mienshao this time,” observed Yuuri. “Sure, Torracat has only 1 HP left and any attacking move could do the job, but a good Trainer would have anticipated the switch or the heal. This means… he must have thought that it was way too dangerous to risk a recoil, considering the amount of health Mienshao currently has! Yet… with its Attack lowered by Intimidate… High Jump Kick is the only way Mienshao could take down Luxio right now! Could this be do or die time for Mienshao?”

However, Guang-Hong had other plans in mind. He gave Mienshao the Hyper Potion, healing it back to full. Yuri followed up with a Thunder Wave from Luxio, figuring that if Guang-Hong didn’t go for the risky play last turn, he wouldn’t do it this time round either… and much to his relief, he was totally right. Be it a switch or a heal, Thunder Wave would cripple whoever the Gym Leader chose to remain on the field. Now that Mienshao was Paralyzed, Luxio would be getting the first move every time!

“Wild Charge!” commanded Yuri. Luxio crackled with its signature blue electricity as it barreled headfirst onto Mienshao, unleashing the thousands and thousands of volts of charges stored in its fur. A critical hit! It was an instant kill by Luxio, and the recoil from the attack only brought it to a little less than half of its health.

“No! Mienshao!” cried Guang-Hong. 

“Hooray! Yuri!” The Yurio cheer squad banner flew higher than ever in the air. 

“Not bad,” said Otabek. “Mienshao went down pretty fast. Compared to the previous Gym Battle…”

“Well, compared to the previous Gym Battle, where ‘stall’ and ‘sustain’ seem to reign, this one happens to be an all-out brawl against teams of pure, unadulterated offense!” said Victor. “Trading blow against blow, attack after attack… I would expect no less from the Fighting-type, really! It’ll be a much quicker and much more straightforward match of course, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be any easier for Yurio, I feel! Guang-Hong’s Pokémon pack a huge punch – and Yurio knows it, too!”

“Go, Lucario!” said Guang-Hong, tossing out the Ultra Ball of his second fighter.

Yuri blinked a couple of times. “Isn’t that –”

“Yup! The same Lucario that fought by your side in the Battle Royal! It recognizes you as a worthy opponent! It’s been yearning to battle against you ever since!” 

“Then a battle I’ll give it! Luxio, Wild –” 

“Lucario, Close Combat!”

The blue and black Pokémon leapt into action, unleashing an onslaught of punches, jabs, uppercuts and kicks onto Luxio at breakneck speed. The Spark Pokémon had no chance to react at all. It tried to dodge some of the blows, but they were just much too fast for the eye to trace; it tried pulling away from Lucario to prepare for a Wild Charge, but the Aura Pokémon gave it no such opportunity, sticking onto it like glue at every step of the way. Lucario’s attacks were rapid, precise, and relentless, and at the end of it all, Luxio was a completely goner. To make things worse, Lucario was holding the White Herb as well, negating any Defense and Special Defense drops after the Close Combat.

Yuri was aghast. The fact that Luxio was down by just that one hit was not at all a surprise to him; after all, he had expected all attacks from Guang-Hong to be like that from the get-go. It was the fact that somehow… Lucario seemed a whole lot stronger than he remembered. Not that it was _weak_ before, but… how far had it come exactly, from the last time it met? It was like a whole new different – better – Pokémon had taken its place. _Is this the result of the Hermosa Gym’s training from hell? Does climbing a mountain every single day do this to Pokémon?_

He sent in Wimpod onto the battlefield. It was hard to believe that he was already down to his last healthy Pokémon. It could not have been more than twenty minutes into the fight. So he did the obvious thing and restored Torracat back to full health using a newly bought Hyper Potion (because at this stage, Super Potions were just not enough anymore). “Stone Edge!” commanded Guang-Hong, and Lucario responded at once. Rocks materialized out of thin air, and with a flick of Lucario’s paw, they rained directly onto Wimpod like a shower of freshly sharpened blades. It was the direct hit of direct hits, but ultimately nonlethal, as Wimpod held on to its Focus Sash and survived with the skin of its teeth! 

“Now Wimpod’s Wimp Out is going to activate,” said Victor, “and Yurio can switch into Torracat! This is going to be a great matchup for him! Torracat’s Fire-type attacks are excellent against the part Steel-type Lucario… and not only that, I think Torracat can actually outspeed Lucario and get the first move next turn!” 

“Oh no, you don’t!” exclaimed Guang-Hong. “Lucario! Bullet Punch!” 

A last ditch effort to get some priority damage onto Torracat before it died… Yuri could respect that. Lucario’s paws hardened into solid steel and bombarded Torracat with a barrage of quick, successive punches, but because of the type disadvantage, the attack only took out a little less than a quarter of Torracat’s health.

The Fire Cat Pokémon countered with a Fire Blast… but despite the STAB, despite the super-effectiveness… despite Lucario’s less-than-stellar Special Defense, it actually managed to survive the attack! And it did not even have a Focus Sash on it!

“Damn it, Lucario! You just want to make things difficult for me, don’t you?” said Yuri with a wry grin. Somehow, it heartened him to know that even within the new and improved Lucario, there still remained the same dogged determination.

There was nothing else Guang-Hong could do except order a final Bullet Punch from Lucario, which it carried out to its utmost best, until the very end. And then there was the follow-up Fire Blast from Torracat… and then Lucario collapsed on the ground, taken out for good.

And that left Guang-Hong with only one Pokémon! The Yurio cheer squad broke into elated applause.

“That was amazing. I can’t believe you’re the same Trainer I met in Dortmund City,” said the Gym Leader with a chuckle. “Or… maybe you are; you just didn’t get a chance to showcase your true strength back then.”

“Gee, glad you know!” said Yuri, feeling the slightest bit of vindication. 

“To tell the truth, I didn't manage to bring out the best of my Pokémon either! Well… it’s hard for me to, when I’m sharing a battlefield with Victor and Yuuri…”

…Everyone in the room turned to look at those two, just then. And those two conveniently happened to be looking somewhere else.

The Gym Leader got ready his final Ultra Ball. “So I’m going to give everything I have, right here at this moment! And you better repay me in kind, got it, Yuri? Go! Breloom!”

The green-and-brown Mushroom Pokémon emerged onto the battlefield in a burst of light. Torracat still had the upper hand in this matchup. One super-effective hit should put Breloom out of commission. “Fire Blast!” commanded Yuri.

“Steal the turn, Breloom! Mach Punch!”

So it was the same strategy he used before! The priority Mach Punch and Technician to enhance its power… a deadly combination of speed and STAB! Breloom’s claws glowed red as it jabbed Torracat in the face again and again, taking it to critical heath. Torracat launched its Fire Blast… but the moment it opened its mouth, Breloom ceased its attack and did a backflip five feet into the air, evading the attack altogether.

“Damn it!” cried Yuri in frustration. He was so caught up in the moment that he completely forgot – despite the effects of Blaze, Fire Blast was _not_ the most efficient move he had in his arsenal to deal with this Breloom… yet now was not the best time to dwell on his error. Now he had to heal, he had no choice but to heal, because Torracat would be dead from the next Mach Punch! 

“Take a Hyper Potion, Torracat!” he said, and Toracat was right back up to tip-top fighting condition.

“Breloom, Spore!” ordered Guang-Hong. 

“Dodge it, Torracat!”

“That’s not going to work!” From the gills on the underside of Breloom’s mushroom cap, a strange powder-like substance emerged; Breloom twirled round and round on the spot, spinning faster and faster, causing its spores to spread throughout the entire battlefield, and not a single spot was spared! No matter where Torracat ran, spores stuck to its fur, their sleep-inducing powers working well as intended within seconds.

“Spore is the only status move that sleeps with full Accuracy!” said Guang-Hong. “Let’s see how you get out of that!”

“Damn it! Take a Full Heal!” was Yuri’s response; with the amount of pressure Breloom was putting on his Pokémon, there was no way he would risk even a single turn of inaction. Sure enough, as soon as Torracat woke up form its short-lived slumber, the first thing it registered was Breloom’s red fist of doom right in front of its face… then came the sharp pain, and another, and another…

“Torracat! Are you okay?” said Yuri. 

“Mrowr…” The Fire Cat Pokémon had seen better days, of course. It health was low, a little above the critical zone, but really, what did it matter? If he decided to spend his next turn healing Torracat again, Breloom would Mach Punch it back to the same health zone, where the next move would finish it. And the cycle would continue on and on. It was one of those sticky situations yet again.

_How did I land myself into one of these…?_ But it was not the first time it happened him, of course. He had gone through so many similar situations before. For some of them, he figured out the solution himself. Other times, Victor or Yuuri showed him and guided him. All he needed to do was to be methodical, and use logic at every step. This time was no different. He could do this. He could win this.

_I’m sorry Torracat, but you have to die right now!_ “Hyper Potion onto Wimpod!” And as expected, Breloom annihilated Torracat with a decisive Mach Punch.

Yuri sent in his fully restored Wimpod and used the Max Revive on Torracat. _And I’m sorry to you too, Wimpod, for you are going to die as well!_ Then again, Mach Punch was not very effective on Bug-types, so there was still a pretty good chance Wimpod might remain standing… but of course, Guang-Hong had something else up his sleeve. “Bullet Seed, let’s go!” 

And Breloom took aim. Wimpod tried darting from side to side in an attempt to dodge the incoming attack, but Breloom managed to lock down its movement patterns in no time. Like a machine gun, it then began rapidly firing rounds and rounds of round seeds at the Turn Tail Pokémon. One hit… two hits… and that was already more than sufficient to take Wimpod out of the fight. 

Did Yuri… did Yuri just jinx himself? “Don’t tell me… Bullet Seed is affected by Breloom’s Ability too?”

“Yes,” said Guang-Hong. “It applies to all attacks with a base power of 60 and below, you see! Meaning that instead of a mere 25… each shot of Bullet Seed gets boosted to a base power of 37.5! That’s the cool thing about Technician! My Breloom isn’t just a one-trick Mach Punch Ponyta, you know!” 

“I know,” said Yuri, his lips curling into a smirk. Despite everything, he was totally okay with Wimpod dying; after all, Wimpod was _meant_ to die this turn anyway! “Too bad Breloom’s going down to _me_! Go! Torracat! Our last attack!” 

And that was it – the final phase of his plan. The idea was to break out of the vicious cycle by healing Torracat off-field and then letting it get a free switch in after the sacrifice of Wimpod. _Methodical, with logic at every step indeed._ This ensured that Torracat had sufficient health to tank an attack from Breloom at the _start_ of its turn, rather than only _during_ it, when the aforementioned turn had been wasted by the use of a Potion.

“Mach Punch!” yelled Guang-Hong. Torracat endured the hit, took it all in its stride. It crouched down on its paws, preparing itself for Yuri’s command…

“Finish it, Torracat! Acrobatics!”

“Now, this…! This is the right move he should be using all along!” said Victor. “It’s over!”

In a way so reminiscent of Yuuri’s Greninja way back then, Torracat pounced into the air and nosedived right back down onto Breloom. It was the perfect finishing move with practically zero chance to miss, the perfect four-times super-effective move against a Grass-and-Fighting type, the perfect move after the Focus Sash had been eroded away after its one-time use and Torracat had no more held items left. It was the perfect way to end this Gym battle, with Breloom out for good and Torracat still able to go on, with Yuri as the ultimate winner.

Guang-Hong’s face fell as his Pokémon fell fainted onto the ground. Yuri’s smirk never left his face for a second.

“Battle Royal déjà vu? Icing on the cake, really!”           

\---

 

The morning sun rose higher and higher into the sky and the Hermosa Gym Trainers resumed their training, taking great care to avoid the areas where the floor was messed up from the heart-pounding Gym Battle Guang-Hong and Yuri had just now. 

“Here you go,” said Guang-Hong, pinning the Brawler Badge onto Yuri’s Badge case. “That’s for a fun match and a job well done! Four Badges… you’re halfway through your Gym conquest, aren’t you?” 

Yuri’s eyes lit up. The Gym Leader was right; he only had another four more Badges to go before he could finally qualify for a shot at the Elite Four… and the Champion’s seat! He could not believe how fast his journey whirled past him.

“Our Yurio is really improving day by day,” said Victor, beaming with joy. “I’m so happy for your win!”

“Hey!” snapped Yuri. “Save the sappiness for when I finally beat your ass, okay? By the way, Guang-Hong… umm… could you do me a favor?” 

Everyone’s jaw dropped. “Yurio’s… actually asking for help from someone???” 

“Oh, shut the hell up!” said the blonde boy immediately, a little flustered. “After all, I helped him back then when he needed someone to fill in for the Battle Royal, remember? He owes me one now!”

“Sure,” said Guang-Hong. “What do you need?”

Yuri’s eyes blazed wildly with determination. “Your entire Hermosa Gym training routine, of course! Now that I’ve beaten you, it’s time you tell me the true secret of your power!”

…

“Umm… Yurio,” said Yuuri nervously, “you do know that you shouldn’t be blindly copying the methods of others, right? What works for Guang-Hong might not work for you! The most important thing is to find a formula that suits you best, and…”

“I know!” interjected Yuri. “But I’m sick and tired of being so weak and always trailing behind! If there’s an inkling of a chance that I’ll get stronger using Guang-Hong’s way, I’ll take it ten out of ten times! No matter how torturous it sounds.”

“Actually… there really is nothing special about us,” said Guang-Hong. “I guess there’s our martial arts, but you’re going to need _years_ to master it, and I don’t think that’s where your interest lies, am I right? If you just want to improve your physical fitness and stamina… if you're wondering about how we get stronger… well, it’s just basic strength training! Sit-ups, push-ups, squats and the like! Of course, there’s our daily mountain run, but you can easily substitute that with stairs or a treadmill with an incline.” 

“Really? Just that?”

“Yup! Just that! The key is consistent practice and practice! Nothing too fancy… because frankly, the fundamental exercises are more than enough! As someone once said, ‘I fear not the man who has practiced 10000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10000 times’!”

Yuri was still skeptical – but sit-ups? Push-ups? Running? Those sounded pretty doable. No harm giving them a try… right? 

They bade farewell to Guang-Hong and set off for their next destination. But Yuri wanted to start his new training routine right away. “Let’s go down the mountain, and back up again!” he said eagerly. 

Otabek stared at him in shock. “You… you can’t be serious, Yuri. Yesterday, you were the one who was complaining the whole day…”

"What? I didn't complain!"

"You were thinking it; it was written all over your face."

“Since when did you become a mind-reader? Anyhow, that was yesterday! Right now, I’ve never been more serious in my life! Come on, let’s go!” 

“Hey… if you’re going to descend the mountain… why don’t try bungee jumping?” suggested Yuko.

Victor’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “That sounds fun!”

“It absolutely is!” nodded Yuko. “It’s one of the best attractions Hermosa Town has to offer! Second, of course, to our –”

_Kaboom!_

It was too sudden. It came out of nowhere. Yuri’s eardrums were ringing. The ground beneath him was trembling. _What the hell just happened? Shit! Isn't that… an explosion!?_

Moments later, masses of black smoke could be seen billowing out from somewhere in the direction of…

“No! It can’t be!” gasped Yuko. “Our shrine!”


	22. The Most Despicable Organization (Part I)

They rushed to the Hermosa Shrine as fast as their legs could carry them, with Yuri dashing ahead of the pack all thanks to his roller skates. The rage inside him, which had quelled considerably during the course of these few days, reignited yet again, burning fiercer than ever. An explosion! _If it wasn’t the doing of who I think it was, then let lightning strike down where I stand! Because this time, I’m definitely, absolutely, one hundred percent certain –_  

He put his thoughts on hold as he screeched to a stop in front of the shrine, taking in the sight that befell him in its entirety. _Unbelievable…_ It was like a scene out of a horror disaster film, like a scene out of a nightmare – no, a scene out of a distant, fleeing memory. Everything was smoldering, charred black and devastated to the ground. The grand worship shrine, so opulent and intricately designed, was now but a shadow of its former self, its roof and structures shattered into smithereens. Even the Dragonair statue was not spared, the likeness of the long, graceful Dragon-type fractured into a million pieces, with water flooding all around it in a growing puddle. 

He felt sick to the stomach. To think that just a day ago, this shrine had been perfectly fine and even beautiful, and as much as he hated to admit it, even though it was not as fun or cool as some of the other attractions he had visited, he kind of sort of liked the place, appreciated it for how peaceful and spiritual it was. It was supposed to be one of his rewards for his efforts in climbing up Mt. Hermosa! It was supposed to be one of the highlights of his journey so far! But now… it was gone, all gone. 

 _Why??? Why do they have to keep ruining everything?_ This time, there was no mistake about it. Yuri was definitely, absolutely, one hundred percent certain it was _not_ a natural disaster like the one at the Dortmund Power Plant, because shrines were not supposed to be dangerous places. They were not supposed to spontaneously catch fire or even explode like that. And it could not have been the Drampa too, because the place totally lacked the signs of a Dragon-type attack – the claw marks, the purplish-blue flames, the craters in the ground and all that kind stuff. It was something that had been carefully calculated. Everything had been on purpose. Everything had been a deliberate plan by someone… no, by the most despicable organization to ever exist. 

But… why? What could those stupid bastards possibly gain from this?

\---

 

When Yuko saw the ashes of destruction, she burst into tears.

She knew, of course, that it was useless to cry. Crying would not solve anything. Crying would not restore her beloved shrine to its former glory. But the tears kept flowing anyway, for the shrine meant just too much to the people of Hermosa Town… to much to _her_ … and to see it utterly destroyed like that… she just could not bear it. She was ten years old when she first met her first Espurr by the Dragonair water fountain, a timid Pokémon abandoned so mercilessly by its Trainer, yet warmed up to her as if they had known each other forever. She was twelve when she became enthralled by the story of Arceus and started helping out at the shrine every other day; she was fifteen when she passed all the tests and officially inaugurated into the role of main caretaker. At seventeen, she met Takeshi for the first time before the main worship shrine, an encounter of the fates, one that involved Espurr, accidents, and a whole lot of awkwardness, a story for another day. And three years later, they married at the very same place. More than half her life, she spent at this shrine. It was a huge part of her. But now… it was gone, all gone.

So she let her tears flow, needlessly and without abandon, because this shrine deserved all of them, because Arceus deserved all of them. She would let her tears flow, and once her eyes were dry, that was when she would pick the pieces up, that was when she would stand right back up again, rebuild the damned thing from scratch if she had to, in the name of her beloved Arceus, in the name of her identity, her pride and joy, her home, her life, everything she held so dear. 

But for now…

“Yuko… are you okay?” 

She snapped out of her trance. It was Yuuri. _Of course I’m not okay, obviously!_ was what she wanted to reply… but the words evaporated as soon as she saw the expression on his face. He looked solemn and determined… with a piercing glint in his eyes she had never seen before, had not even known he was even capable of. His hand was wrapped around an Ultra Ball in his jeans pocket; he was poised and ready for battle.

“Don’t worry… we’ll take care of this,” he said, his voice laced with all the coldness of steel… yet oddly warm and reassuring at the same time. “We’ll help you. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. We won’t let whoever did such a horrible thing get away scot-free!” 

“That’s right,” said Otabek, retrieving a Poké Ball from his belt.

“Leave it all to us!” said Victor, pulling out an Ultra Ball from his coat pocket.

“Took the words out from my mouth!” said Yuri, already holding a Poké Ball of his own.

Yuko let out a gasp of amazement. _What?_ All of them looked so serious… too serious in fact, as if… as if they were about to go to war! They were merely just tourists; they had no stake in the shrine whatsoever; they had no form of attachment to it… so why did they look so mad? Like it was _personal_ somehow, like they wanted to kill someone… okay, it was more of Yuri Plisetsky with the murderous glare than everyone else – and what a murderous glare it was – but still…! This was too much of a far cry from their normal, cheerful selves! _And Yuuri Katsuki… what resolve! That guy’s usually so mild and calm… but then again, he’s also a part of the Elite Four! It’s hard to imagine that his skills… are no doubt way above Guang-Hong’s… or even Yuri Plisetsky’s! If anything, he’s not someone to be messed around with!_

 _And they know something I don’t,_ she realized. Yuuri alluded to it; they knew it was a ‘someone’ that exploded the shrine… and to have incited such a response from them, that ‘someone’ had to be an ‘enemy’, one they had crossed swords with multiple times. It made sense actually, since if Victor was Pokémon League Representative and Yuuri was traveling with him and helping him all this while, they would want to get rid of anyone who was threatening the peace of the region. But what about the other two? _And who in the world could have done such a thing? I thought… I thought… after everything that happened five years ago, people know better already, they know better than to cause unnecessary pain and violence… but apparently not!_

And if there truly was an ‘enemy’… then, as caretaker of Hermosa Shrine, shouldn’t she… shouldn’t she…

“Hey, Yuko, Takeshi… did your Espurr sense anything wrong with the shrine when we were away at the Gym?” asked Yuuri. “Any unusual presence… unusual people or Pokémon?”

Takeshi was startled. “No! Now that you mention it, if there’s anyone who’s trying to mess with the shrine… Espurr would have detected them twenty miles away, and alerted us! Yet…!” 

“Maybe they were too occupied with holding up the banner.”

“No,” Yuko interjected. “Like I said, don’t underestimate them! You won’t believe how little effort it took for them to carry out that task, not to mention, there are six of them! My guess is, there has to be something else interfering with their powers!”

Victor placed a thoughtful finger on his chin. “An opposing Psychic field. That’s not something unheard of. Which means our opponent probably has some pretty formidable Psychic-type Pokémon on hand!”

“Like a Drowzee,” spat Yuri. “Or a Hypno!”

That confidence in his answer… _I was right; he knows who they are, he met them before… and despised them._ Yuko drew a sharp intake of breath, and in spite of the shiver up her spine, she found herself asking, “Who… who exactly are we against?”

“Yeah… I forgot to mention… but apparently, Crimson Society’s back for good. And this time… I’m not going to back down even an inch!”

\---

 

It spoke volumes, how Victor and the others did not even try to deny his bold words, considering that they were always all about ‘looking for more information before making a claim’. It was one of those extremely rare times where there was no arguing or debating about it; they were all on the same page, they were thinking exactly what Yuri was thinking, seeing what he was seeing and arriving at the same conclusion. Which was a good thing, because it meant less time wasting and more getting down to action.

“Do you think they’re still in the vicinity?” asked Otabek.

“I don’t know,” Victor replied, “but it’s highly likely that they’re looking to make a clean getaway. If we want to catch them red-handed, we need to move fast. And since there’s no way we can pinpoint their exact location with our Psychic Pokémon, we’re going to have to split up and search on our own – physically. It’s not a big shrine, but we’ll cover more ground that way. I’ll take the northernmost part, Yuuri can take the south, you can take the east and Yurio can take the west. As for Yuko and Takeshi…” 

“We’re going to alert the townspeople and local authorities about this incident,” said Takeshi. “Let’s go, Yuko…”

“No, I’m staying here,” said Yuko, dabbing at her puffy eyes. Yuri also noticed she was trembling ever so slightly; in rage or in trepidation, he could not tell. “This… this is my responsibility. My shrine. I want to do something more about this! If Crimson Society really is here… then I want to be the one to defeat them! I want to be the one… to avenge Arceus’s name!”

“Welcome aboard, then!” said Victor. “You can join Yurio in the west wing, he probably needs the extra help the most –” 

Yuri immediately took offense to that. “Hey! I don’t need ‘extra help’! I’m a Trainer with four Badges after all!”

Victor raised a teasing eyebrow. “As compared to…?” 

A Champion, an Elite Four, and his rival, whom he had yet to defeat in an official battle. Yuri did not even bother opening his mouth to argue back, because there was nothing he could argue.

“Be careful… all of you,” said Takeshi. He gave Yuko a tight hug, and ran off into the town.

“Alright, let’s split!” said Victor. “If any of us finds anyone from Crimson Society, remember to give the rest a shout! We’ll all rush over to back you up!”

And so they set off in their respective directions. As per Victor’s instructions, Yuri and Yuko headed west, where the Dragonair water fountain and some other stuff was… had been. They walked on, searching in silence, mostly because Yuri had no freaking idea at all how to deal with situations like this. He was totally fine – more than fine – with not talking; in fact, the most obvious solution was to leave her the hell alone and come back when her emotions had more or less settled down. Yet he had this nagging feeling that he should be doing something, anything to console her, to break this uneasy tension that was currently hanging thickly in the air above them. But what was he supposed to even say? ‘ _Hey, don’t be sad anymore, okay? Let’s think positive and face the future with a smile!’_ And to top it off, a wink and a sprinkle of sunshine and rainbows? The apocalypse could come and go and come again, and the earth could be engulfed in glaciers and meteors and torrential floods, and even then those words would never, ever escape from his mouth – ever!

 _But seriously… what’s so difficult about providing a couple of words of comfort and encouragement?_ said his voice of reason. _What’s your issue? Why do you always find stuff like this so… embarrassing? Just take a look at your cheer squad! Victor Nikiforov could do it. Yuuri Katsuki could do it. Are you saying you couldn’t do better? Are you saying you’re less than them, somehow?_

 _What’s… my issue?_ To answer that question, he probably had to dig deep into the innermost recesses of his heart, and frankly, that was a place he was content to let remained sealed for the rest of his life. Yet the silence was getting extremely unnerving, and if there was a time when he should be doing anything about it…

“Hey, Yuko –”

“Yuri –” said Yuko at the same time. 

The boy immediately shut his mouth, full of relief that he needed not do anything after all.

“Forgive me for asking,” said Yuko. “I was just curious, that’s all, but… what’s your deal with Crimson Society? I mean – well, that’s a pretty nasty expression you got going there on your face! You probably don’t like them much, do you?”

“Not one bit. The last time I saw them, they kidnapped me. And that’s not the worst of their crimes. If I see them today, I’m going to have my revenge, for sure!”

Yuko giggled. “I guess that goes for the both of us. Although… with all your Badges and battle training, you’re probably more suited for this kind of thing than I am.”

“What are you talking about? They destroyed your shrine! You have every right to make them pay for what they did! When we fight them, I’m going to let you have your shot at them too, got it? Don’t screw it up.” Then, after a brief moment of consideration, he added, “Just… don’t be sad anymore, okay? Think positive and… face the future with a smile… or whatever.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, if you’re sad, you won’t be able to think straight, and I don’t want to be battling alongside a burden, alright? We need to win this at all costs, so don’t drag us down and lose us the fight before it even began!”

Yuko smiled affectionately. “I’ll try my best not to then! And… I’m fine now, Yuri. Really. Thank you.”

Somehow, that did not turn out as disastrous – or as cringey – as Yuri had expected. He was glad for that. Yet, his problems were far from over.

\---

 

Despite her predicament, Yuko found herself feeling strangely optimistic.

Yuri Plisetsky… he was a good kid. Very prickly, very explosive, too many anger issues to count, but she could see that he was trying his best to make her feel better, and she appreciated the effort. In many ways, he was the total opposite of Yuuri Katsuki, but nevertheless, she could trust him. She could trust his strength. _But I’m not going to rely too much on him, of course. I’m going to fight back on my own terms as well! My Espurr might not be trained in the art of Pokémon battle, but I believe their raw power can pull us through! Plus… you’ll be looking over us, won’t you, dear Arceus? Please, grant us the strength and courage to win them all!_  

All of a sudden, Yuri stopped in his tracks. He pointed to a spot a few feet away from where they stood – and Yuko’s eyes followed, and she had to muffle her mouth with her hands to prevent herself from shrieking out loud. It was _them_! It had to be! Crimson Society! The very portrait of viciousness years ago, but reduced to a blemish in history over the years, almost forgotten and never heard of again – until now. Yuko had never actually seen any of the Crimson Society members in person before; her knowledge of them was general and smattering… but who else could it be, with the flaming red hair, the evil-looking masks and the matching red-and-black uniforms? After all, if she was not mistaken… she could vaguely recall someone mentioning something about their colors over the radio once, five years ago, when the Society had been at its peak, when her entire family had been huddling in an underground shelter as destruction rained down above them, and the radio was their only connection to the outside world. That was probably the closest she had ever gotten to the organization in real life. She would have considered herself lucky back then, but as of now, she sort of regretted not being more informed about them, especially since the Victor Nikiforov Museum was _available_ , and she had _promised_ Victor that she and Takeshi would pay a visit one day, and she _knew_ she had to get on fulfilling it as soon as she could…

 _Did Crimson Society have that many members?_ She counted at least four of them… but that was only the west wing. Surely, there had to be more in the other parts of the shrine – if so, how many? Before she could ponder about it more, Yuri was dragging her by the ponytail to the back of a pillar, which thankfully, had remained intact enough for them to hide behind. Now that they were in a safer spot, she could observe them more intently than before… yet from this distance, she could not tell exactly what they were doing, or what they were saying.

Yuri did not seem to care. He fished out another Poké Ball from his pocket; now he had one on each hand. “Let’s ambush them.”

“We should inform Victor and the others first and foremost,” said Yuko. She took out her Xtransceiver – and immediately, three messages flashed onto the screen. Yuuri… Victor… Otabek. Yuko did not even need to read them to know what they were about. She sent out her message, and turned to Yuri. “Looks like they’ve found themselves some Crimson Society members as well. We’re on our own for now.”

“Great! More revenge for us, then.” The blonde boy’s scowl turned into a smirk, but that did not make his expression any less awful. _If it could scare me, then surely it could scare Crimson Society as well._ Yuko took solace in telling herself that.

“So… how are we going about this ambush?” 

“I count to three. At three, we run towards them and release all our Pokémon at once.”

Yuko’s heart was palpitating wildly in her chest. _The element of surprise._ It was a pretty good plan, but… as the time drew ever so closer to the actual attack, she found herself having second thoughts. This was by far the most reckless thing she had ever done in her entire life. Her first major battle – her first Pokémon battle in what, a decade? – and it was against an enemy who had proven to be capable of demolishing an entire region! Could she do it? Could she carry it out without a hitch? 

_Please… grant me the strength and courage…_

Being in so deep already, she had no other choice. There was no turning back anymore. She got ready her Poké Balls. 

Yuri was already in his starting position, ready to dash off at any time. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” That was a lie, of course.

“Then… one… two… THREE!” 

They sprung out from behind the pillar! With all her might, Yuko flung her Poké Balls towards the group of Crimson Society Grunts, and from the corner of her eye, she could see Yuri doing the same. 

“Go, Espurr! Espurr!”

“Go, Torracat, Wimpod!”

And with a bang, the counterattack had finally begun!


	23. The Most Despicable Organization (Part II)

North wing.

Two Crimson Society Grunts – a male and a female – stood with their Poké Balls at the ready, waiting impatiently for their next command. _Any time now._ As soon as they received the signal, they would release their newly Revived Electrode, command a second round of Explosion, and completely and utterly obliterate this vile place for good. It was a simple and straightforward plan, and their chances of screwing up were practically zero – at least, according to the higher-ups – so they weren’t too worried… but in any case, it was their first proper mission after a long, long time of training and preparation, and they were determined to make it a success. Determined to make the Society proud. Determined to make the Red Phantom proud.

“Oh, what do we have here?” 

A third man!? What a twist! Where did he come from? How did they not notice him until now, when he spoke? Instinctively, they looked at each other – but of course, no thanks to the masks they were wearing, neither could tell what the other was expressing on their face. So they turned their gazes towards the stranger instead – and realized in horror that he was not quite a stranger at all. For his was practically the most recognized face in the whole of the Ibara Region. 

It was none other than the Champion Victor Nikiforov.

He did not utter another word. None of the quippy remarks or playful teasing he was so infamous for. His face was a picture of calmness and serenity, his lips curled into a tight smile, even though there was absolutely no reason for him to be smiling at all. Which could only mean one thing, and only one thing…

They were both screwed.

Or… were they? They called upon their Pokémon – twelve highly-trained and healthy Electrode, all set for their task. Twelve times the power of Explosion would kill everybody in the area instantly (except them, of course); for no matter how strong a Champion was purported to be, he was still sadly and fatally human, and it was not like he had access to the combat safety suits they were wearing either (the Science Department really outdid themselves this time). And even if the attack itself did not manage to kill him somehow, the falling rubble and debris would. Forget about waiting around! Forget about obeying orders! If they truly managed to take him down, it would mean that the biggest threat to their plans was eliminated for good. Nothing would stop them anymore. The Red Phantom would be so damned pleased. The Red Phantom would love them so much for it. And that was all that mattered.

“Electrode, Explo –” 

They did not get to finish their sentence. The Champion tossed his Ultra Ball into the air and out emerged a Ninetales, cloaked in the dazzling white of snow. First came the snowstorm, then the Blizzard, then the abject shock that all twelve of their Electrode crashed and burned and lay fainted on the floor, frost gathering rapidly on their bodies, piling higher and higher… 

Their jaws hit the floor. It was crazy. They were not prepared for this. They were not prepared for _him_. The Champion strode towards them, as if the cold did not bother him at all, as if he was invincible, inhuman, immune to anything and everything anyone could throw at him… but no, this was not the truth they knew; this was not the case at all! _For there is only one person in this entire universe who fits the bill, and that person is none other than the great and mighty Red Phantom!_

_And we… failed him!_

“Tell me,” said the Champion, his expression unreadable. “Why are you doing all this? _How_ are you doing all this?”

And they told him – not the whole truth, of course; they were obviously not supposed to do that. They told him what they wanted him to hear, and, sensing that they were not going to say anything else, the Champion swiveled round, recalled his Ninetales, and walked away. Where he was going they did not know, but if it was any consolation, the signal was due any second now. There was no way he could reach the other Society members before they carried out their respective tasks.

So there they stood, shivering and defeated in a world of ice and pain. They would report it back as an accident, that they completely underestimated the Champion, that they would not make the same mistake a second time. The Red Phantom would absolutely loathe them for it of course; the realization pained them, but it also meant that they had to work even harder to earn his forgiveness. They had to work harder, so that his glorious comeback would be a reality. So that Victor Nikiforov would get his just deserts at last.

\---

 

South wing.

Elite Four Yuuri Katsuki had heard so many tales and anecdotes about Crimson Society, from Victor, from Yurio, from the people he met and talked to throughout his travels. But never did he think he would actually encounter them in the flesh one day. _So they were the ones who almost destroyed Ibara five years ago… devastated the entire land… made so many people and Pokémon miserable…_ The stories played over and over again in his head, strengthening his resolution to win his battle. _They mustn’t be allowed to cause any more pain and suffering to anyone. Yurio suffered enough. Yuko suffered enough. Even Victor suffered enough. The people and Pokémon of Ibara… mustn’t see a repeat of everything that had happened to them! As a member of the Elite Four, it’s my duty and my mission to fight for everyone and protect our home! I have to put a stop to their plans no matter what!_

Two Grunts and twelve Electrode. This looked to be a pretty manageable battle. Electode might be speedy, but they were pretty weak defensively. And it was not like his own Pokemon were slowpokes either. All he had to do was to outspeed his opponents and knock them all out in one swoop. 

“Go, Absol, Night Slash!” 

The Disaster Pokémon emerged from its Ultra Ball, plunging headlong into the group of Electrode. Its movements were swift, deadly, and elusive, like a hunter of the night, born and bred in the shadows. The Electrode did not even realize they were being lethally wounded until moments after Absol completed its attack – and by then, it was far too late for them to do anything about it. In a flash, it was over. The Crimson Society Grunts were downright petrified.

He grabbed a rope from his bag and, with Absol’s help, tied the Grunts to a nearby pillar. _Their masks…   their outfits look way different from what I expected,_ was the first thing that came to his mind. It was strange… he had heard so many stories about them that they had already taken a life of their own in his imagination. And looking at them for the first time in reality… he would be lying if he said that he did not feel any sort of dissonance. And… shouldn’t he be feeling something else, as he looked at them in such close proximity, as he stared them down in the eye? He shut that nagging thought down; now was not the time for all of that. He would come back and deal with the Grunts and have his questions answered later. For now… he glanced at his PokéNav Plus. It seemed like the others had their hands full with Crimson Society members of their own as well. He had no time to waste; he had to go help them, and take down their enemies before they could do anything else. Whatever they were planning to do with that many Electrode… the implications would be disastrous, and there was no way he would risk any chance of it happening.

Throwing back one last glance at his defeated opponents, he sped off, with Absol following closely by his side.

\---

 

East wing.

This particular Crimson Society Grunt had always admired the Science Department and all the work they had done, all the cool and awesome new stuff they had developed to make them a real force to be reckoned with. _Nothing short of the best of the best for the sake of the Red Phantom,_ she was told. _And nothing but the Red Phantom to bring the best of the best out of Crimson Society!_  

The new combat safety suits were far from being her favorite invention, but after today, she had a feeling they were rapidly climbing the list. Sure, they were not completely indestructible and impermeable, but this burning pain she was feeling right now was probably way better than the agony she would be experiencing if she had not been properly equipped. _Sludge this toxic… just shouldn’t be allowed to exist! If that’s what it can do to the ground… if that’s what it can do to my poor, poor Electrode… who knows what it can do to a person? It’ll melt my skin to its bones! And melt my bones until there’s nothing left of me!_

_What sort of Trainer…???_

Otabek Altin had never been one to care enough to make people remember his name or anything like that. His boots made an awful squelching noise as he made his way towards the Grunt, trudging through the enormous sludge puddle his Tentacruel had created. He reached out for her mask… but she was having none of that, grabbing his wrist in one swift movement before it could reach her face, and pulling him down with all her might – but he twisted his hand away, loosening her grip, and then delivered a roundhouse kick straight to the side of her face. It was not enough to kill her of course, but it would knock her out long enough. 

“Damn… you… bastard!”

It was her partner, the other Crimson Society Grunt in charge of the east wing. He charged fist-first at Otabek, eager to avenge his fallen comrade – and completely forgetting the fact that Tentacruel was still lurking around somewhere, waiting to sting anyone who dared lay a finger on its Trainer. Fifty or so gray tentacles wrapped around and around him, immobilizing his limbs, his movements, his entire body. There was no way he was going to escape this. Otabek stepped up to him and pried away his mask, revealing his true identity. 

It turned out to be… some unknown guy. 

He went back to the female Grunt and removed her mask as well, but it was not anyone he recognized either. He did not know what he was expecting.

With his PokéNav Plus, he snapped a picture of their exposed faces. He would probe them for more information, but one was knocked out cold and the other on the verge of fainting from asphyxiation so naturally, that plan had to be scrapped. He recalled his Tentacruel (hence releasing the poor Grunt from his torment), and checked his PokéNav Plus again. There were two new messages from Victor and Yuuri; it looked like the north and south wings were taken care of. Yet… apart from the initial warning message from Yuko, there were no new updates from the west wing. In other words, that was where he would be heading next. He knew that Yuri wouldn’t like it, that Yuri would very much prefer to handle his fights by himself, and if he tried to offer any help, he would be greeted with a ‘stop patronizing me, asshole!’ and shot down to the deepest depths of hell. But in the slim chance that Yuri was actually struggling… 

He sighed. _Why did the rival I choose have to be so… difficult?_  

But he knew how strong Yuri was. How strong Yuri would be. It would all be worth it in the end.

\---

 

West wing. 

Yuri stood with his arms folded amongst the carnage, proudly admiring his handiwork. The element of surprise worked beyond his expectations. The Grunts did not even get the chance to reach for their Poké Balls. It took no time at all for Torracat, Wimpod and Yuko’s two Espurr to subdue them in a rush of fire, torrents, and Psychic beams.

Yuko had called upon the rest of her Espurr team, and with a blast of Psychic, they managed to pin down all four of the Grunts onto the ground. “Yeah! Take that!” she yelled, adrenaline coursing through her veins. It was nothing like she had ever experienced before. It felt amazing… exhilarating… so, damned, satisfying! She ordered the Espurr to lift the Grunts a few inches up from the ground, and then slammed them all down again. “That’s what you get for messing with my shrine!”

“Really? That’s it? That’s your measly counterattack?”

The voice came from above. Sitting crossed-legged on top of the remains of a pillar was a guy in a red-and-black mask. His hair was flaming crimson – except that unlike the Grunts who styled theirs flat, his was wilder, spiked up messily in all directions. And unlike the Grunts, he was not wearing the standard Crimson Society uniform either. He was dressed in black from head to toe – black longcoat, black gloves, black pants, and black shoes – with red accents of course, to remain true to Crimson Society’s color scheme. 

“Well then, looks like there’s no need for us to worry too much about the consequences of round two!” continued the guy. His words came out unnaturally shrill and disconcerting, probably modified with some sort of voice changer behind his mask. Hopping down from the pillar, he snapped his fingers, and a Porygon-Z materialized out of nowhere onto the field – an odd pink-and-blue Pokémon with an ovoid head, an ovoid body, an ovoid beak, and ovoid wings.

“Dark Pulse!” 

The Virtual Pokémon immediately surrounded itself with an ominous black aura, its eyes glowing a bright blood red. Wave after wave of nauseating darkness radiated from its body, striking down all six of Yuko’s Espurr in one single shot. But it did not stop there. Yuri and Yuko looked to be next – but fortunately for them, Torracat and Wimpod managed to jump in front of them in the nick of time, taking the full brunt of the devastating attack! 

“No!” cried Yuri. This went from zero to hundred all too fast! He could not believe what he was seeing; both his Pokémon were taken to critical just like that! _Who the hell is this new guy???_ The difference in strength between him and a normal Grunt was just way too huge!

The Grunts stood up from the floor and shook the dirt off from their uniforms, no longer restrained by Espurr’s Psychic grasp. “Admin ‘N’!” they exclaimed. “Thank god for you!”

“Just doing my job, so that you guys can do yours!” said the guy now known as Admin ‘N’, and Yuri could have sworn he heard the smug grin behind the artificial voice – a smug grin he wanted to wipe off so damned badly. “But first and foremost, let’s teach these two meddlers a lesson, shall we? Porygon-Z, Psychic!”

Now, it was Yuri and Yuko’s turn to be pinned to the ground! “How does it feel? That’s your punishment for what you’ve done to my little Grunts – except it’s ten times worse than anything you can ever do, because my Porygon-Z is ten times more powerful than your motely Espurr crew! Who do you think is responsible for blocking off all your signals, hmm?”

“…Your Porygon-Z sucks.”

“W-What?”

“I said, your Porygon-Z sucks, dipshit!” repeated Yuri. “Seriously! You call this ‘powerful’? That wasn’t even the strongest Psychic I’ve experienced this week!”

“You… take that back!” shrieked the Admin. “Did you not see Porygon-Z almost take down two of your Pokémon just now?”

But the blonde boy’s eyes were defiant, blazing with unyielding conviction. “But it didn’t. It _can’t_. And if your Porygon-Z is really as strong as you claimed… then tell me – why can I still _move_???” 

It was easier said than done, no doubt about it. It still felt like a colossal slab of invisible cement was crushing his body, pressing him down, opposing his every move… but he knew deep down it was nothing he could not overcome if he made use of all his strength, and focused all of his resolve on the sole task… of breaking free! With much effort, slowly but surely, his fingers managed to twitch a little… stretch to their fullest… just a bit more and he would be able to reach his pocket… and press that button… on his third Poké Ball!

“Go! Luxio! Wild Charge!!!”

And Luxio burst out from its Poké Ball, tackling Porygon-Z with its supercharged body. A critical hit! Now Porygon-Z was taken to critical health as well! The bonds it held on Yuri and Yuko vanished instantly.

Yuko got back up to her feet, still in a state of disbelief about everything that occurred a few moments ago. _How in the world did Yuri… it couldn’t be through sheer force of will, could it?_ Then again, there was also the fact that Porygon-Z was not actually a Psychic-type Pokémon, so there was no way it could bring out the true potential of a Psychic-type move and execute it as flawlessly as it would like… although she had to admit, the Psychic field it had set up to prevent her Espurr from detecting Crimson Society’s presence in the shrine _was_ indeed pretty formidable – and it had worked too, which was the most important part. 

Of course, Yuri had a whole different explanation for this, a simpler explanation – Porygon-Z flat out sucked, and he was awesome, and there was no way he would ever let Crimson Society get the better of him, not in a gazillion years. Also… being on multiple receiving ends of Victor’s ace Gardevoir’s Psychic attacks pretty much ruined all other Psychic attacks for him; once he experienced the gold standard, once he realized what _true_ strength felt like, nothing else could match up anymore. So basically… he pretty much had Victor to thank. Again. For… torturing him? Surely, there had to be a better way to phrase it…

Admin ‘N’ recalled his Porygon-Z back to its Ultra Ball. “Oh, don’t you dare think you’ve won! Everyone, get ready! It’s time for round two!”

“Go, Electrode!” shouted the Grunts. And before long, Yuri, Yuko, and their Pokémon were completely surrounded by twenty-four of the Ball Pokémon – twenty-four live, ticking bombs, waiting to go off at the Admin’s command! _Why do I always find myself in these stupid, stupid situations!?_ He thought that twenty Grunts back at the Crimson Society hideout was bad enough. But apparently not! Somehow, this particular group always managed to find increasingly worse ways to screw him over – but it was not like he did not know that already. What was new? He was in hell now, but he always had been, the moment Florentina Town happened…

Still, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared shitless at his current predicament.

“Go, my Stoutland!” said Admin ‘N’. “Let’s give our friends a Helping Hand!”

Four Stoutland burst out from their Ultra Balls onto the field, and with a deep, rousing howl, all twenty-four of the Electrode became all pumped up, raring to go for the kill! “By the way, I’ve received word that our Grunts at the north, south, and east wings are compromised,” said the Admin, walking up to Yuri. “If it's who I think it is… although, really, that doesn’t matter one bit! With Helping Hand, we’re able to boost the base power of Electrode’s next move to make up for it! And Explosion just so happens to be the move with the highest base power in the _world_! Can you even imagine what will happen to the remainder of this shrine? Everything’s going to go ka-boom!”

“But you’re going to die too, idiots!” retorted Yuri.

“Thanks for the concern. But no, we won’t. Any last words?”

Yuri threw a glance at Yuko, who was uncharacteristically silent despite the imminent destruction of her shrine and her life. Her hands were clenched at her sides and her hair matted with perspiration, but she showed no sign of giving up just yet. It was admirable, how resolute she was in the face of death… _but please don’t be_ _one of those ‘live and die by the shrine’ kinds of idiots right now! You have your Espurr! Teleport us from this place! That’s our only way out I can think of right now! Please tell me you’re also thinking of it!_  

_Don’t worry, Yuri! I have a plan!_

Yuri’s eyes widened. He could hear Yuko’s voice in his head! 

 _Yes, it’s me! Espurr’s connecting us telepathically right now!_  

 _But how –_  

_The Crimson Society guy recalled his Porygon-Z, remember? Now there’s no one out there on the field to interfere with Espurr’s Psychic powers. As soon as Porygon-Z’s gone, I Revived them all and asked them to send a telepathic message to Victor and the others. They’re coming to help us, Yuri! By my estimate, they should be here any time now!_

_Are you out of your mind? You should’ve told them to escape!_

_Do you actually think they will? When you’re the one in danger? You’re their friend Yuri; of course they’re not going to leave you alone to die! Of course they’re coming to save you!_

_Those… idiots! They… shouldn’t be doing this for me! And who says I’m going to die? Your Espurr are going to Teleport us out of here… right???_

_Yuri… I hate to break it to you, but… Espurr cannot learn Teleport._

_What in the name of hell??? What kind of Psychic-type doesn’t learn Teleport???_

_Well… Espurr…?_

Yuri groaned internally. He sincerely hoped with all his heart Yuko could hear it.

“No last words?” said Admin ‘N’, breaking his thoughts. “Well, too bad then! I gave you a chance; you blew it… just like how we’re going to blow up this damned place! Grunts, do your thing!” 

“Electrode, Explo –”

For the second time today, the Grunts did not get to finish their sentence. The earth beneath them crumbled and gave way – and all the Grunts, the Pokémon, Yuko, Yuri, and Admin ‘N’ found themselves plummeting down along with it, falling deeper and deeper into a giant, seemingly bottomless chasm where the ground once was.

Yuko was screaming at the top of her lungs.

And then she stopped. Falling, that was. She never stopped screaming… until three seconds later, once she realized that she was _safe_.

She was hovering in mid-air; her fall arrested by a sudden blast of Psychic… except much, much stronger than the one Porygon-Z subjected her to earlier before. This time, she knew there was no chance of her moving any of her limbs. She remained motionless as she floated higher and higher, up and up the chasm and back to normal ground.

There, stood Victor, Yuuri, and Otabek. And of course, Otabek's Venusaur, the reason why there was an Earthquake on the top of a mountain. Not to mention Victor’s Gardevoir, the reason why she did not fall to her death from said Earthquake. 

“You guys came through!” squealed Yuko, tears of relief and happiness spilling from her eyes. “Thank you!” 

“All thanks to you,” said Yuuri with a smile. “We’re just glad that you guys are safe. We've… we've gotten everyone, right? Yuko… the six Espurr… Torracat… Luxio…” 

“Yuri and Wimpod?” asked Otabek.

Yuko scanned all around her. They were nowhere to be seen. 

Victor’s face turned a ghastly white. “Gardevoir… please tell me they’re safe.” 

“They have to be… they have to!” said Yuuri, panic creeping into his voice. “This hole… this hole shouldn’t be that deep, despite its looks! Yurio and Wimpod… are going to be fine!”

“If that’s the case, so are Crimson Society…” murmured Otabek.

“The Earthquake should've taken out all the Electrode, I'm sure,” said Victor. “There won’t be an Explosion happening anytime soon. Now, our utmost priority should be getting Yurio and Wimpod out of there no matter what!”

“I've got this covered,” said Otabek. “Go! Golbat!” He grabbed onto Golbat’s legs and the two of them swooped down into the chasm, into the pitch darkness.

“Be careful, you two!” Yuuri shouted after them.

“Don’t worry,” assured Otabek. “I’ll bring Yuri back. You can be sure of it!"


	24. The Most Despicable Organization (Part III)

Of all the ways the confrontation against Crimson Admin ‘N’ could have ended… 

‘In a hole down below the shrine’ was the probably last thing Yuri had expected. It was a pretty deep hole too, probably about thirty feet from the top, which meant that there was nothing he could do but to – he hated to admit it – wait for someone to rescue him. If his guess was right, all of this was the work of Victor and the others, trying to shut down all twenty-four of Crimson Society’s Electrode in one swoop… somehow, somewhere along the way, someone must have made a mistake and trapped him along with their foes as well. He checked his Xtransceiver. Sure enough, there was a message from Otabek:

_Don’t panic, I’m coming to get you._

_I’m not panicking, asshole_ , he texted back immediately. It shouldn’t be something that pleased him, getting rescued by his rival of all people… but secretly, he was happy to know that his friends were looking out for him, and that he was actually getting out of this god-forbidden place. 

In other news… Yuri had no freaking idea how in the world he survived the fall. It was then that he realized that he _wasn’t_ sitting on solid ground, but something soft… and warm…

Immediately, he bolted up. There, standing in front of him, was…

“Wimpod…! Is that you?” The place was badly lit as hell, but he could still vaguely make out the silvery blue and purple of his Pokémon. Except… it was much larger now… with six arms (Wimpod had _arms_???)… and standing upright on two legs (Wimpod could _stand_???). Yuri flipped open his Pokédex – and at once, he found the entry that matched what he was looking at. It was none other than Wimpod’s evolved form, Golisopod! And holy crap, did it look _awesome_!

He reached out and patted its shell. It was hard, extremely hard, like a newly forged set of armor to protect its soft inner body… and, now that he thought of it, its Trainer too, from the impact of the fall just now. “So you evolved to save me,” he said, a wide grin on his face. “I guess we should celebrate… although it’s almost impossible to do so in this dumb place. Hey, why don’t you take a couple of Sitrus Berries for all your hard work?”

Golisopod guzzled the Sitrus Berries happily. Yuri took this time to make sense of his surroundings. From the light emanating from his Pokédex, he could sort of make out piles and piles of fainted Electrode all around him. The four Crimson Society Grunts were among them as well, slumped over and unconscious, but probably (and surprisingly) not dead yet. At least that was a major threat out of the way. Yuko and the rest of his Pokémon were most likely on the floor above, waiting with Yuuri and Victor. The only one not accounted for was… 

“Thunder Fang.” 

A crack of electricity lit up the entire hole momentarily – and Yuri could see as clear as day, a Stoutland pouncing onto Golisopod with its canines bore for the world to see, chomping down onto Golisopod with fervor. To his delight, Golisopod took the damage in its stride, brushing it off like it was nothing at all! Oh, how he loved evolution, and the huge boost in strength that came with it! 

“Admin ‘N’,” he scoffed. “I’m surprised you aren’t dead yet.”

“Likewise,” came the raspy, mechanized reply a few paces before him. “Stoutland! Thunder Fang, once more!” 

“Golisopod, First Impression!” 

Priority and raw damage. It was a move that Golisopod learnt as soon as it evolved (as Yuri learnt from his Pokédex), and what a move it was! With a swish of its huge armored claws, half of Stoutland’s health was taken out just like that. The Big-Hearted Pokémon followed up with a Thunder Fang, but Golisopod dodged it adeptly, its newer, bulkier body not affecting its agility one bit. The next Thunder Fang managed to land a hit, but Golisopod’s was no longer the squishy and weak Wimpod Yuri once knew – it was now a Defensive beast! It survived the Thunder Fang just fine, and a counter Waterfall took care of Stoutland in an instant.

“Stoutland! Come back!” barked the Admin, recalling his fainted fighter and getting ready a second Ultra Ball. Yuri reckoned he was fuming under that mask.

“Oh, right,” he said, his grin mocking and cocky. “You have three more of those Stoutland, don’t you? I guess you want to see them suffer the same fate as the first!” 

The Admin hesitated for a moment, then put the Ultra Ball back into the pocket of his coat. “Whatever! Not like defeating you changes the way things are right now. We’re still stuck here!” 

“With me,” said Yuri, still grinning. He recalled Golisopod back to its Poké Ball.

“What, your friends threw you out and forgot about you?”

“I _made_ them throw me out. You know I’m not satisfied until all of thirty of you scream in hell. And then they’re coming back to get me… sooner or later.” 

The Admin whipped out an Xtransceiver and typed away furiously on it. “And… as of now, so are mine! Sooner or later.” 

They sat in silence on opposite ends of the hole, neither looking at the other.

The Admin spoke up first. “You know… I can totally defeat you if I want to right? I let you off because I got bored, that’s all! Contrary to what you may believe, the rest of my Stoutland are no easy prey. Once I release them from their Ultra Balls, you’re as good as dead!” 

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that!”

…

“Oh well!” sighed the Admin, breaking the silence yet again. “I guess I have no choice but to admit… you’re a really strong Trainer. Time after time you’ve opposed us. And time after time you’ve managed to get the better of us. But don’t you dare think we’re going to let you off that easily. After everything you’ve done… after all our plans you’ve spoilt… did you think you could've actually escaped our notice? Did you think we aren’t aware of your existence? All this while, we’ve got our eye on you. Why, some of us think that if left unchecked, you might become an even greater threat than Victor Nikiforov himself!” 

Yuri’s eyes widened in amazement. Him? A greater threat than Victor? That was probably… the best praise anyone had given him – _but no, don’t freaking mess with my head, you Crimson Society bastard! If it’s praise from you, it’s no praise I’ll ever accept! What the hell are you trying to get at?_

“It’s a great pity though,” the Admin continued, “that you’re not on our side!”

_So that’s what_. Yuri glared at him defiantly. “Of course I’m not. I’m not _evil_.”

“Evil?” The Admin let out a shrill, grating laugh, courtesy of his voice changer. “Evil! So you believe the lies as well! No wonder you're so hostile towards us! Then again, I don’t blame you, if that’s what you’ve been fed all your life! Since we’ll probably be stuck down here for some time… why don’t I teach you the real truth? The truth only Crimson Society members know. The truth that no one else in the region wants to admit – until our time comes and they have no other choice!” 

“Why the hell –” 

“Because we at Crimson Society see your potential. We see your strength. The fire in your eyes… the decisiveness at which you command your Pokémon… the sheer determination you bring to your battles… The Grunts told me stories, do you know that? So many stories… and after battling you in person, I can finally understand why you caught their attention. You’re different from the rest. The rest of the world… they wouldn’t understand our noble undertaking! Everything associated with Crimson Society they would automatically associate as evil and crazy, without considering the fact that there might be a totally valid reason why we’re doing all this, why we’re working towards our final goal! They would try to smear our name; slam us, condemn us. They would try to stop us – just like they’ve been doing for the past five years, just like they are doing right now!” 

“Are you kidding me?” interjected Yuri. “Do you even know what you’re babbling about? Five years ago, your mad Leader was the one destroying entire cities and ending innocent lives, and you wonder why people hate you so much?”

“Like I said – they don’t understand! Either they’re too stupid, or they just flat out _refuse_ to acknowledge the true meaning behind the events that took place five years ago… the _implications_ … what it entails for _us_ , for the entire Ibara Region! What they perceive as mindless destruction… we see as a magnificent display of raw power. We see the complete and much-needed overhaul of the status quo! We see the ushering of a new, better age! And we suspect, no, we know… that you can see it too! If there’s anyone who could understand us and empathize with our vision, it would be you!” 

“Empathize?” Yuri was on the verge of exploding. “Does it look like I have a shred of _empathy_ inside me for _you_???” _You, who robbed my parents away from me, who made my life a living hell???_ His blood was boiling with hurt and anguish, and for the very first time since he landed in this hole, he felt like _he_ was the one who was being utterly trapped with no place to escape. Every word the Admin had said had sounded so awful… so wrong… so awfully wrong in so many ways! To empathize with Crimson Society… meant he had to identify with them… understand and share in their feelings. _How… dare he? After everything they did to me, how dare he even suggest that I would want to stand on their side of things, even for a second? And how dare he try to make me???_  

“I’m sure you will come to your senses, once you listen to what we have to say,” said the Admin. 

“Then go the hell ahead!” said Yuri. “Tell me about this oh-so-grand-and-noble goal of yours! Because I’m really, really curious on the sort of lame excuses you’re making, in order to justify all the horrible things you all have done!”

“You see… all we ever want… is to become stronger.”

…

And Yuri was dumbfounded. He would be less shocked, perhaps, if he had said something hypocritical like ‘world peace’… or ‘eternal happiness’… or ‘bringing individuals closer together’… or literally anything else. The fact that he shared the same exact goal as his mortal enemy had never occurred to him, not even once. But now that it did… it was _terrifying_ , being alike to them in more ways than _zero_.

…Was that what Admin ‘N’ meant by him being capable of empathizing with them? And now his horror just increased tenfold.

“Tell me,” said the Admin, “who is the strongest Trainer you know?” 

“…Victor Nikiforov.” It was true. Yuri had to admit it.

“A typical answer from someone who believed in lies. But we at Crimson Society, we know better. The strongest Trainer in the entire universe is none other than our eternal Leader – the Red Phantom. I still remember the day I joined the Society. I still remember how awe-struck I was when I heard his story. Do you know about the Legendary Pokémon? Do you know how impossible is it to capture them, to tame them, to control them and submit them to your will? An ordinary Trainer wouldn’t even come close to meeting them. But the Red Phantom, our Red Phantom, could control _at least_ twenty of them. Four of them he kept by his side, his signature Yveltal being one of them. The rest of them he left to roam all around the region – and oh boy, did they roam! No city was spared from their wrath – _his_ wrath! That whole time, everyone in the region and even beyond lived in fear of one name. Of one single person. Apparently, after witnessing his rampage, even the Elite Four had to throw in the towel! That sort of strength… it was absolutely undeniable! Unprecedented in history! It was nothing short of true power! And some… some might even call it _beautiful_. Tell me, if this isn’t the work of a _god_ , then what is? If the Red Phantom _isn’t_ a god… then how can you explain his existence?” 

“I don’t know!” retorted Yuri. “And I don’t care! All I know is that Victor defeated him, eventually! Victor is stronger than him! And now your stupid Leader is dead!”

“No! The Champion was mistaken! He was completely blinded by his own foolishness! You see, here’s the thing: sometimes, people _want_ to believe in something so much, that they actually end up convincing themselves that they truly believe in it. And that was what happened with the Red Phantom and everyone else in this region! _No one_ wants the Red Phantom alive. No one except us. The resurrection of the Red Phantom is just too much for their puny little minds to process. The sheer possibility of a Crimson Society resurgence is just too scary for them to admit! It’s literally unspeakable! So they spread the word, the word they _wanted_ so badly to be true that it _became_ true for them – that Victor Nikiforov killed our great leader for good, that silly old Crimson isn’t coming back anymore. But of course, reality tells a different story! So let me drill this in your head: the Red Phantom was _never_ dead! And he can _never_ die, for he _is_ a god – our one, true god! All this while, he was only waiting, waiting for the ripe moment to make a comeback, waiting for all his loyal followers to set the stage for him! So that he can rise to power once more… so that he can once again claim his rightful place as the true ruler of the world!”

“That’s crazy!” Yuri blurted out. “You’re crazy! You… you can’t prove that!”

“Oh yes, we can. You see… the Red Phantom actually spoke to us. He told us _exactly_ what to do to bring him back! And it’s going to be nothing short of glorious!”

Yuri’s blood ran cold. “Bring… him… back?” 

“Bingo. That’s the mission of the newly reformed Crimson Society. Six months after our initial disbandment five years ago, a secret Red Phantom supporter by the name of Scarlet Rose stumbled upon the ancient Void Scrolls in the underwater ruins near Kiftsgate City. Legend has it that powerful beings from another realm can tap into their magic and use them to communicate with us, beings of this world. We all thought that it was just a myth, a fictional tale… yet it turned out that those scrolls do exist after all, waiting for someone worthy to come along and discover them! What Scarlet Rose found were detailed plans Red Phantom laid out for us; once we manage to carry them out successfully, he will come back and begin his conquest! We call it the ‘Crimson Ritual’. Under the temporary leadership of Scarlet Rose, it is our goal to make sure it goes off without a hitch. Then… history will be made.”

“But isn’t your Red Phantom a god? Why doesn’t he come back himself? Why go through all that trouble to make you summon him?”

“He’s testing us, obviously! The Red Phantom places an extremely high value on strength. His expectations are sky-high, and only those who meet them, he would recognize. By completing the ritual, we are essentially proving to him that we are strong enough. That we are worthy of the Crimson Society name. That we deserve to be his loyal followers.”

“And you are totally okay bowing to his every whim.” 

"More than okay!” The Admin was getting more and more riled up. “He said… he said he’s going to recreate Ibara in his image! He’s going to bring us all to greater heights! He’s going to give us power beyond our wildest imaginations! He’s going to lead us on the path to true strength! With him by our side, we cannot lose! With him by our side, we have nothing to fear! There’s… nothing more I want in my life than to follow him to the ends of the earth, to the pits of hell if I really need to! How can you not understand the Red Phantom’s brilliance? How can you not see how utterly amazing and wonderful the Red Phantom is? Why do you believe the lies you believe? He’s not evil! His calling is just too high for most dumb people to comprehend!”

“Your leader… almost wiped out the entire region!” 

“All he wants is to eliminate the weakness of the world... and honestly speaking, anything that yields and crumbles under true strength deserves to be! Only then can we march forward!” The Admin sighed wistfully. “If only people could see his godlike strength! It’s so disappointing really; even after the magnificent display of his prowess… their houses could burn to ashes and their Pokémon all out of commission, and they still refuse to concede to the superpower that’s staring them right in their faces! Everyone and their mom’s all about Arceus, and Arceus, and Arceus, maybe sprinkle in a little bit of Victor Nikiforov here and there, but seriously? Arceus??? It’s just a Pokémon, for crying out loud! When our Red Phantom returns, he is going to make it his _bitch_ , just like he did with all his Legendaries! Who'll be your god now, huh?”

Realization dawned on Yuri. “So that’s why you bombed the shrine!” 

“Obviously! It’s just… so damn ugly and annoying! In a world with Red Phantom, it shouldn’t have existed! It doesn’t deserve to exist! The only one deserving of worship is our Red Phantom! And when his time comes, you _will_ understand! _Everyone_ will understand! We’ll make sure of it!”

“No!” yelled Yuri. “I won’t! I will never submit to him!”

“Really?” the Admin scoffed. “You’re still about that? Even after listening to everything I said?"

" _Especially_ after listening to everything you said!"

"Well, that's disappointing. But then again, it doesn’t matter in the end! Resistance is futile! This is the Red Phantom we’re talking about here. And those are Legendary Pokémon. Who could stop them? The Champion? He is but one man. It might have worked five years ago, but Crimson Society is much stronger now. Thank to Scarlet Rose and all our recruitment efforts, we are now a full organization with over five hundred members. And we have the best of the best among us.”

“But on Victor’s side, there’s me,” said Yuri, his voice and gaze unwavering. _And Yuuri Katsuki, and even Otabek. We are strong too. We can definitely match up to you if we give everything we have, I’m confident of it._ “So what if your Red Phantom is a god? So what if he’s stronger than me? One day, I’m going to become stronger than him! And then I’ll defeat all of you! And even if you bring him back again and again, I’ll still defeat all of you! I’ll defeat you as many time as it takes, until Crimson Society becomes nothing but the dust under my feet, you got that?”

“Really? Do you really want this, Yuri? You know the kind of power you can possess if you join us. You know how much stronger you can get if Red Phantom takes you under his wing. And you know you want to get stronger – isn’t it the reason why you’re going on a Pokémon journey in the first place? Instead of competing with us for the same goal – and failing, why don’t you just take the smarter way out? Because you’re smart, aren’t you? You’re not going to believe in delusions that easily, like those brainless, unthinking folks out there.”

“Oh, shut your stupid mouth!” snapped Yuri, “The chances of me joining you is negative infinity times a thousand! Don’t act like… like you know a lot about me, because you don’t! So quit it while you’re ahead!” 

Admin ‘N’ let out an amused chuckle. “Man, you’re one stubborn boy, you know that? But remember: we won’t be divulging all this to you if we think that you and your band of friends can stop us. And also because –”

“Fly!” 

A Golbat descended from above with the velocity of a missile, tackling the Admin square in the face, knocking him out instantly. 

Yuri’s eyes lit up. “Otabek! What took you so long?” 

“…It’s a deep hole,” shrugged Otabek. “Way deeper than it seems. I guess… I got too carried away.”

“Wait. _You_ made this hole? I thought it was Victor… or Yuuri – one of those two!”

“Don’t underestimate my Venusaur’s Earthquake,” said Otabek with a slight smirk. “Thought you might want to note that down for our next battle.”

“Wait. Your Ivysaur evolved? Since when? Why didn’t I know about it?”

“I don’t need to report to you my every move.”

“Well, then you _don’t need_ to know that my Wimpod evolved too, just now!”

“Alright,” Otabek laughed. “I definitely do not know about that, then!” He grabbed onto Golbat’s right leg and motioned for Yuri to grab onto its left. “Come on, let’s get going. The others are waiting for us.” 

“Your Golbat… can take both our weights?”

“Yes.” 

“Good. Because if I fall to my death… I’m going to kill you, alright?”

“…How's that even going to work?” 

“…I'll kill you from my grave!” 

And they flew up and up the hole into the brightness of light.

\---

 

“So, Yuri… about bungee jumping.”

They were back in Yuko’s house, their lunch spread on the table before them. After the events from the shrine, Yuri was absolutely ravenous. He needed to stuff himself full of food, so that he could wash away the taste of bullshit that Crimson Admin ‘N’ had been feeding him just now. 

All in all… it was probably the best way things could have ended. Sure, it was far from a good ending, but at least they prevented a second round of bombings, at least they managed to defeat some Grunts, and at least Yuri got to know a little more about Crimson Society’s motives – although he definitely needed some to process them. Hermosa shrine might have been pretty much destroyed to the ground, but it was not like it wasn’t still salvageable. Takeshi had informed the rest of the townspeople about the tragedy, and they were all eager to help in any way they can. Victor and Yuuri volunteered to be part of the rebuilding efforts as well, but Takeshi turned them down. “You've already done us way too big a favor in taking down the bad guys,” he told them. “We can handle it from here on out.” In another piece of good news, the ‘revenge’ against the Grunts seemed to have lifted Yuko's spirits quite a bit. She definitely looked pretty enthusiastic about the renovation works she had already started planning for the upcoming months.  

“Bungee jumping???" gawked Yuri. "Did you not see me drop thirty feet down a hole just now? That’s enough bungee jumping for this lifetime, don’t you think so?” 

“No!” said Yuko, cracking up with laughter. “Bungee jumping requires you to fall from a much, much taller height! Your so-called ‘experience’ counts as nothing!” 

“Yurio…” began Victor.

“Save your breath,” Yuri said in a firm voice. “I’m not blaming you and Gardevoir.” It was strange; he amazed even himself with how easily he forgave the Champion for failing to save him, how he didn’t actually lash out at him like no tomorrow. _Today… must have been quite a huge shock for Victor too,_ he reckoned. He hadn’t told the others about his conversation with the Admin during their time in the hole, but apparently, Victor had spoken to a couple of Grunts, and they had basically told him the same thing – that Red Phantom was confirmed to be not dead, and Crimson Society was indeed making a comeback for real. Except that there were way fewer details, and certainly nothing about their resurrection plan. For someone who truly thought that he had eliminated the menace once and for all… to learn that his efforts had been in vain and his titles a sham… to have his strongly-held beliefs about the Red Phantom’s death completely and utterly shattered for good this time… it must have been _painful_. And, as Champion and Ibara ambassador, he had to deal with the brewing aftermath of his misjudgment on top of that… No, there was no way Yuri was going to stress him out any further. 

“Thank you so much, Yurio,” said Victor, an apologetic smile on his face. “I owe you.” 

“Don’t sweat it. Well… you can always give me pointers for the next Gym, or something.”

Victor’s eyes sparkled with joy. “Sure! You can count on that!”

“So,” said Takeshi, munching on a breadstick. “Where are you guys planning to go from here?”

“We're thinking Eglanteria Town!” Yuuri replied. “Then, we’ll then make our way towards Jaune Town – our event over there is in a week! And Yurio can get his fifth Gym Badge there as well!” 

“And Eglanteria Town also happens to be Yuuri’s hometown, isn’t that right?” said Victor.

“Right!” said Yuuri, smiling affectionately at him. “It’s been quite a while since I went back for a visit too.”

“That sounds lovely!” said Yuko. “I wish you guys all the best in your travels! Oh, but before you go, I have something for Yuri… Plisetsky!”

“Huh…?” This was a pleasant surprise! What on earth could Yuko want to give him?

Yuko went inside a room… and when she emerged, she was carrying a Pokémon Egg! It was about the size of her head, with a dusty purple outer shell patterned with faint pink splotches. Gingerly, Yuri received it from her hands – it felt warm, comfortingly so, like a cup of hot Tapu Cocoa on a cold winter’s day. 

“You’re giving this… to me?” Yuri asked incredulously. This was… impossible. He could not handle this. The Egg was too fragile, far too fragile! It totally felt like it could break any second, what with the awkward and careless way he was holding it. What if he tripped on a stone while he was walking? What if he accidentally sat on it and crushed it under his weight?

“Just a small token of appreciation,” said Yuko. “I want to thank you for your help back at the shrine. Thanks for having me along with you! For giving me the chance to get back at Crimson Society and avenge my shrine! I know it might sound weird, but somehow, you actually managed to give me some hope and positive energy throughout the time we were together. So thanks for that as well!”

“Positive energy?” cringed Yuri, his face as red as the Camerupt Curry on his plate. “No way! I’m the harbinger of darkness! I can’t take care of this Egg! I’ll doom it to hell!” 

“Don’t say that!” giggled Yuko. “I’m confident that you can hatch this Egg well, into a new member of your Pokémon team! And when that day comes, I know you can show it the joys of traveling and the beauty of our world! I know you can show it how fun and cool Pokémon battles can be!”

“If you say so,” said Yuri, hugging the Egg a little closer to him. Already, he felt… some kind of a bond with it. There was no way he would put it down for even a millisecond. 

“Don’t worry, Yurio!” said Yuuri. “We’ll be there to make sure that nothing bad ever happens to it! My family runs a Pokémon Day Care in Eglanteria. They’re experts on taking care of Pokémon Eggs! Once we get there, you’ll have all the help you need!” 

“Oh, I wonder what will hatch from this!” gushed Victor. “It’s all so exciting!”

Yuri shot him a look. “Seriously? Isn’t it obvious enough?”

“Hey, come on, don't spoil the mood! You know I’m just kidding! Even so, it’s your first Egg, Yurio! It’s going to be an exciting time, nonetheless!”

They bade farewell to Yuko, Takeshi and all their Espurr, and set off on the next phase of their journey. _A new Pokémon, a new Badge, new places to go, new people and new Pokémon to meet._ Victor was right; exciting times were up ahead, and Yuri absolutely could not wait!


	25. Who I Am And Who I Should Have Been

Descending Mt. Hermosa and traversing Route 8 brought the group to Eglanteria Town, a peaceful and quiet sanctuary in the west of the Ibara Region. Today happened to be one of those days, where the weather was as fine as it could be, where the azure sky was covered by wispy blankets of cotton-candy clouds, shielding the earth from the sun’s harsh rays; where the scent of daffodils and peonies filled the air, a sweet gift delivered by the cool and gentle breeze. It was the perfect day for a whole lot more traveling and exploring!

Yuri had his new Egg in his arms, cradling it like he was cradling a nuclear bomb. It was a miracle that it did not roll off the edge of the mountain and drop five thousand feet to its grisly demise – but who knew what could happen in the next few minutes, so long as it was with him, Yuri Plisetsky, harbinger of darkness, destroyer of children’s innocence and evil cults, defeater of many opponents? Yuko was confident he could take good care of it – but he had absolutely no idea how! Was he… supposed to do something more with it? Wrap a blanket around it? Massage it? Sing to it? Would all of that even work? He wanted so much for it to hatch as fast as it could, so that all of his worries could finally be put at rest… but so far, nothing seemed to be happening.

“It’s all about the number of steps you take,” Victor had told him. “The more you walk, the faster your Egg will hatch!”

“So basically… it’s what I’m doing now! What I usually do!”

“Yup! An Egg feels most at home surrounded by caring Trainers and energetic Pokémon. As it travels along on your journey, its eagerness to hatch increases day by day! It wants to see this new and beautiful world with its own eyes! At least, that’s what Yuuri’s parents told me! Speaking of which… Yuuri, are we there yet?” 

“Almost, I think!” came Yuuri’s reply. His eyes were fixed on the Town Map of his PokéNav Plus, glancing up occasionally to see if he was leading the group the right way. Eglanteria Town was not a populated place by any means, and certainly not as and confusing as the labyrinths that were Dortmund and Grimmetts… yet it was still pretty damned large in its own right, and one had to be careful not to get lost among the rows and rows of almost identical-looking traditional houses. And apparently, the people there had not heard of a certain invention called ‘street sign’ – otherwise, navigation would be a much, much simpler task. Yuri was about to point that out… until he realized that a quiet town like this was not a place tourists usually visited, and the people must have lived there all their lives, long enough to know their way around by heart.

Finally, they reached a corner of the town where a huge, double-storey house stood. Attached to it was an enormous backyard demarcated by a steel picket fence, where a bunch of Pokémon could be seen playing, sparring, relaxing, dozing off in the trees… it was like a miniature Pokémon paradise! There was a sign attached to the fence, and on it were the words: _Katsuki Pokémon Day Care_. 

“Looks like we’re here!” Yuuri announced. “Umm… welcome! My house!”

…

They waited outside the door in anticipation.

“Are we… just going to stand here?” asked Otabek.

Yuuri laughed nervously. “Umm well… I just realized I forgot to inform my family that I’m coming home today! I don’t want to intrude on them… they’re pretty busy people! I don’t even know if anyone’s home right now…”

“But it’s your own house,” Yuri pointed out. “You supposed to go in whenever you want.”

“Yes… but I still don’t think it’s polite to barge in just like that! But… I guess I shouldn’t be letting you guys stand around like this either. Let me get my keys real quick, alright? It’s buried deep inside my bag… somewhere. Just give me a moment to find them…”

“Hey, it’s alright, Yuuri,” said Victor, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, and the two of them exchanged this _look_ of understanding that seemed to transcend the need for further words… or so it seemed to Yuri. The Champion walked up to the door, pressed the doorbell, and stepped back a couple of paces. 

Moments later, a woman opened the door. Her hair was short and bleached a dirty blonde, pulled back by a purple hair band. On each of her ears were five piercings, giving her a cool and edgy vibe. Her eyes widened momentarily when she saw her guests… and almost immediately, she broke into a grin. 

“Well, if it isn’t my brother and his good friend Victor! Long time no see, huh?” She turned to Yuri and Otabek. “And who are those? Kids you picked from the streets?” 

“Nah, we summoned them from the grave and now they do our bidding!” Victor replied with a wink. “Guys, meet Mari, Yuuri’s sister! Mari, that’s Yuri Plisetsky… and that’s Otabek Altin!”

Mari raised an eyebrow. “Yuri… Plisetsky? You’re also called ‘Yuri’? Huh… that’s way too confusing. Hey, tell you what, why don’t I call you ‘Yurio’ from now on? You know, for convenience’s sake.” 

“Way ahead of you,” grinned Victor. 

They went into the house, and up the stairs to the living room – a spacious yet cozy area with a short wooden rectangular table in front of a wide-screen television, surrounded by a myriad of cushions. “If you didn’t know already, our family runs a Pokémon Day Care,” said Mari. “That means that we take care of Pokémon for busy Trainers, and help train them a little. The first floor is basically our workplace. It’s where all our facilities and Pokémon are, where we deal with our customers. Our actual house is on the second floor. Help yourself to cookies, alright? I’ll get you all some tea.” 

“I’ll help you!” said Yuuri, almost immediately.

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” replied his sister, and she disappeared into the kitchen.

Yuuri threw a frantic glance at Victor, glanced back to the kitchen’s open door, and after a brief moment of hesitation, rushed into the kitchen behind her. A while later, the siblings returned, carrying a tray of cups and a pitcher filled with iced tea, plus even more plates of delicious-looking home-made snacks. 

“So… what brings you guys to this neck of the woods?” Mari asked. She took a cookie and chomped down on it. 

“Oh! Well… Yurio has an Egg he’s currently taking care of, so I was umm… hoping we could help him, or something. And also… we have an event in Jaune Town coming up in a week’s time, so we’ve decided to stay here a few days, since, you know, it’s on the way,” replied Yuuri. “If it’s okay with you guys, of course.” 

The plan was to spend four days in Eglanteria Town, and leave on the morning of the fifth. Of course, Yuri was not totally on board at first – four days was way too long of a time to spend idling around with no progress… but Victor and Yuuri eventually convinced him (rather easily, thankfully for them) that having his Egg taken care by the Katsukis at the Day Care was the best course of action. Plus, according to Victor, there were quite a number of good training spots on the outskirts of Eglanteria as well, so at least his Pokémon could gain some levels before tackling the Jaune Town Gym. 

“Hey… it’s your own house,” said Mari, throwing her brother a smile. “No matter what happens. You can stay for however long you want. We can prepare the guest rooms for your friends too. I’m sure mom and dad will be overjoyed once they see you’re back. They’re currently outside running errands, if you’re wondering.” She finished the last of her cookie, wiped her hands on her pants and turned to Yuri. “So, about this Egg you have…”

Yuri handed over the Egg to her. She took it from him, placed it gently on a cushion and began examining it with her hands. “It doesn't look like it’s close to hatching,” she said. “It needs more time, it seems.”

“How can you tell?” asked Otabek.

“I’ve been trained in the art of Pokémon Breeding ever since I was a little girl. Of course I can tell. By rule of thumb, the more the Egg moves about, the more sounds coming from the inside, the sooner it is to hatching. And this particular Egg isn’t moving at all. Not a single bit!” 

“I can’t believe this!” Yuri groaned. “We walked for two straight hours, for god’s sake! And yet…!”

Mari threw back her head and burst into laughter. “Two hours? That’s hardly enough! Eggs usually take a week or so to hatch, assuming if you keep up with the walking every day. But hey… no one’s telling you to go through all that trouble. Here at the Katsuki family Pokémon Day Care, we have a way to speed it all up – the quickest and most effective way of hatching Eggs _ever_! Without the need for any walking!” 

“Wait. WHAT???”

Yuri could not believe his ears. This was way too good to be true! It was everything the boy could ever ask for.

Mari stood up from her cushion. “So, what do you say? Wanna try it out?”

“Let’s do this!”

And so the two of them made their way downstairs. It turned out that right behind the backyard, hidden by a tall stone wall, was an all-natural geothermal hot spring bath, surrounded by lush greenery and flowers in full bloom. Mari carefully placed the Egg into the warm spring water, leaning it against a rock; it was a rather shallow bath, and the water only went up to three-quarters of the Egg. Yuri could also spot a bunch of other Eggs in the spring in all sorts of colors and patterns – he reckoned those must be the Eggs of the other Trainers who engaged the Day Care’s services. 

“That’s it?” said Yuri. “We’re done here? I… don’t need to do anything else?” 

“Nope!” Mari replied with a grin. “The spring water will do all the magic! Think of it like an incubator, or a Pokémon with the Flame Body Ability… except a hundred times better! It’s perfect for busy Trainers, or Trainers with multiple Eggs. Of course, we usually charge a fee for this… but since you’re friends with my brother, I’ll give you a lifetime free pass!”

“Wow… thanks,” said Yuri. “This is… actually pretty damn amazing. I still can’t believe a place like this actually exists.”

“I know, right?” said Mari. “My grandparents… no, my great-grandparents really lucked out when they found this place. When it comes to a point of time in your Trainer’s journey where there are too many Eggs for you to handle, you know where to find us!”

“Are you kidding?” gawked Yuri. “One Egg is troublesome enough. I don’t think I’ll be hatching any more Eggs anytime soon.” 

“Oh, believe me, you will,” said Mari. She pointed to a batch of Eggs in the furthermost left corner. “See those Eggs? They belong to Elite Four Phichit. And the ones beside them… they belong to Elite Four JJ. When you reach their level, Pokémon Breeding becomes a huge part of your life. It’s another way – no, one of the best ways a Trainer can use to further diversify his battle strategies!”

Yuri was completely stunned. He remembered learning a thing or two about Pokémon Breeding in Trainer’s School… but it was a minor topic, glossed over in a couple of sentences, and definitely not covered in depth. Some Pokémon could breed with each other. Others could not. That was… probably about it. That was everything he knew. And yet… it turned out there was actually a whole lot more to it?

Mari chuckled at his bewildered expression. “Hey, don’t worry too much about it, okay? Some Trainers spend their whole lives not knowing anything about Pokémon Breeding, and they still manage to carve out quite a name for themselves! It’s not actually an easy concept to grasp, I must admit. That’s why there are dedicated Pokémon Breeders like us, who can guide Trainers – new and experienced alike – on what to do. The Katsuki family has been in this business for generations already.” 

“So, what _do_ I do?” Yuri could not help but ask.

“Oh wow, you really want me to give you a full-blown lecture on this?” Mari said incredulously. “You don’t seem like the studious type.”

“I’m not. But if the strongest Trainers at the Pokémon League are doing it… if I want to get stronger…”

“Ah, so you’re one of those _serious_ types. Let me guess – you want to become part of the Elite Four?”

Yuri shook his head. “Of course not. I’m aiming for the Champion’s seat!”

“Really? You want to defeat Victor? Good luck beating him… and my brother before him. You’ll definitely need it. I don’t think anyone has come close during the past few years. But enough about them. You want to hear about Pokémon Breeding, right? When it all comes down to it, the keyword here is ‘inheritance’! Abilities, Natures, and innate stats… all of these can be passed down from parent to child. But that’s not all. The other day, there was a show on TV about Elite Four Christophe. I can’t remember the name of the show… but it featured his Arcanine using Close Combat on a bunch of wild Pokémon. You know how strong Close Combat is as a move, don’t you? With it on Arcanine, Rock-types now become a breeze to deal with, whereas previously, it would have suffered. But Growlithe doesn’t learn Close Combat in the wild. Nor can it learn the move from a TM. How do you explain this Arcanine, then?”

“Dude, this isn’t Trainer’s school!” snapped Yuri. “Just tell me the answer already!”

“I’m teaching you about Pokémon Breeding. Shouldn’t it be obvious enough?”

“…Breeding?” 

“Good job, genius! It’s by far the _only_ way a scenario like that could happen. Take a female Arcanine and pair it with male Pokémon who can breed with it and knows Close Combat. Like a Primape, for example, or a Zangoose. The resulting Egg will contain a baby Growlithe, already knowing the move! We call these ‘Egg Moves’ – tools that allow your Pokémon to deal with opponents they normally couldn’t! If you’re as serious as you claim about defeating the Elite Four, you should be able to see the implications of this. Who knows, the Pokémon in your Egg might already have an Egg move or two in its arsenal!” 

Yuri could not contain his excitement. _Hurry and hatch already, you damn Egg! As much as you can’t wait to see the world… I can’t wait to show the world what an awesome Pokémon I know you’re definitely going to be! I can’t wait to meet you!_

\---

 

Mari had to stay behind for a little while more in the backyard to keep an eye on the Pokémon, so Yuri was on his own when he returned to the living room. To his surprise, there was no one – it seemed that Victor, Yuuri and Otabek had devoured all the snacks and disappeared off to who-knew-where. _Gee, thanks a lot, guys,_ he thought, feeling a slight stab of betrayal… but he reasoned that they were free to go wherever they wanted, and it was not like they were abandoning him here and leaving for Jaune Town without him… right? Surely, they must be in the vicinity somewhere… or perhaps in another area of this house?

There was a corridor heading from the living room, with doors on both sides, and Yuri would be lying if he said he was not curious at all on what was behind them. But there was one door in particular that piqued his interest – the door at the very end of the corridor. It looked the same as every other door – brown and wooden – yet for some bizarre reason, he felt that he _had_ to open it. He felt like there was definitely going to be _something_ behind it, yet he could not pinpoint what it was, or why he felt that way. 

So he opened it.

He found himself in a small room. It was simple, airy, and almost empty… were it not for a couple of cushions scattered on the floor, as well as a… miniature shrine, of sorts? Unlike the one he visited back in Hermosa Town, this one was confined to just a wooden table at the back of the room. And resting on the center of the table was a large photograph of a black canine Pokémon, beautifully framed in a wreath of chrysanthemum flowers. _That’s a Houndoom,_ Yuri thought to himself. _What’s a photo of a Houndoom doing here_ – and that was when he discovered the urn, almost hidden behind the huge frame… the candles and incense sticks surrounding the frame… the _other_ photographs plastered on the wall behind the table, depicting the same Houndoom as a Houndour, with a dark-haired bespectacled boy of no more than ten years old, posing together with bright smiles on their faces –

“Yurio?”

“Hey, knock before you enter, asshole!!!” screamed the blonde boy on instinct… then he realized that it wasn’t his own room that he was in, and it wasn’t Mila who was disturbing him and being irritating like she usually was. On the contrary…

“Umm… Yurio… this is my house?” 

It was none other than Elite Four Yuuri Katsuki, standing at the doorway. 

Yuri’s face immediately flushed bright red. “You… you should have knocked, anyway!”

“Sorry for startling you!” giggled Yuuri. “I thought you were with my sister. I didn’t know you’re here!”

“What… what the hell are you apologizing for?” mumbled Yuri. “It’s my fault in the first place. I… shouldn’t have entered the room without your permission.”

“It’s okay,” said Yuuri. He walked up to the shrine and placed a plate of steamed buns in front of Houndoom’s photograph. “It’s not like I’m keeping this place a secret, anyway.” He gestured to one of the cushions on the floor. “Here, have a seat.” 

“Thanks…” The blonde boy plonked down on a cushion, and Yuuri sat down beside him. For quite some time, neither of them said a word to each other… until Yuuri spoke up. 

“So… I guess I owe you an explanation for all this, huh?” 

_You think?_ There were so many questions running through Yuri’s head right now, so many unanswered mysteries just clamoring to be solved. “The Houndoom in the picture… it’s yours, right?” 

“…Yes. It was.”

So that confirmed it. Of course, anyone with a smidgen of intellect could infer it from the photographs on the wall… yet somehow, it was not until he heard those exact words from Yuuri’s mouth that he felt reality truly sink in. The Houndoom had been Yuuri’s. It wasn’t his anymore. It was not ‘fainted’, like a Pokémon after losing a battle, like it could be revived by an item or the Pokémon Center in a matter of seconds. No, this was final, in every sense of the word. It could never be revived again. It was dead and gone and never coming back.

_For a Pokémon to actually end up like that… how the hell did that happen?_ What Yuuri had been going through all this while… 

“You… you must have been good friends, before it died,” Yuri blurted out. That was… objectively not the best thing one could say to console someone, but he reckoned it did not sound _too_ bad… right? He glanced over at Yuuri, expecting an almost instantaneous reply…

…only to find the Elite Four member staring at him, as if actually pondering an answer to that way-more-than obvious question –

And realization hit Yuri like a brick. “You… you can’t remember, can you?”

Yuuri smiled weakly. “No, I can’t. But I… I imagine we must have been! This Houndoom… was actually my very first Pokémon. According to my parents, we took a liking to each other the moment our eyes met. We set out on our Trainer’s journey together. When it died… my parents didn’t tell me when or how exactly it died. They didn’t know. Apparently, they were going about their business like any other day, when out of the blue, they received an urn of ashes in the mail. I had it shipped to them while I was out there on the road. Mari made this shrine for me. She said I was too dejected to come back and visit it.”

“But you’re here now,” Yuri pointed out. “It took you way too long, probably, but at least you got over it. That… kind of makes it up for all those years, right?”

“I… I don’t know if you could say that,” said Yuuri. He was averting Yuri’s gaze altogether now, hugging his knees closer to him. “It… it isn’t exactly about ‘getting over it’. Rather, in this case… it’s more about… how should I put this? It’s more about… ‘not feeling anything at all’. Do you understand, Yurio?” 

“Not… feeling anything… for Houndoom? But… if it was your friend –”

The Elite Four took a deep breath. “You see, when I lost my memories… I also lost all the emotions associated with them. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Since our emotions are more or less… our responses and reactions to our experiences… to our interactions with the people and Pokémon around us. So when there isn’t anything left to make me feel something in the first place… there’s just no way I can.”

“But you have your photos,” said Yuri. “Those are… _things_ , right?” 

“Yes, but… I mean, looking at them, it’s pretty clear that Houndoom and I were really happy together, weren’t they? But I don’t remember being the boy in those photos, nor does the Houndoom trigger any form of recognition in me. To me, to the me right now, those two are… merely strangers; they could be _anyone_ in any random photos in any random Pokémon magazine, and it wouldn’t make a difference. I _know_ they’re feeling happy, and I guess I do feel happy _for_ them… but I don’t feel the happiness myself. What was it that made those particular moments worth capturing, what was it that made those particular moments so special… my photos don’t tell me. And there’s no way I can ever know unless I was actually there myself, going through those experiences… unless I actually possess the memories to fill in the blanks! Those… those are the important things… those ups and downs… the time spent together… those are the ones that are actually going to connect me to Houndoom! But… they’re gone now, and because of that, the bond I’m supposed to share with Houndoom…everything that I’m supposed to feel towards it… all the love and caring and affection… they don’t exist anymore. ” 

Yuri tried to process everything he had heard. “So I guess when Houndoom died, it’s like losing something you never actually had… as compared to losing something that’s always been a huge part of your life… something that you never, ever wanted to lose in the first place.” 

“Exactly. Don’t get me wrong though, I _know_ it is sad when a Pokémon dies… when a beloved companion gets robbed away from you. But I’ll never be able to comprehend the full brunt of the grief that past me would have most definitely felt. No matter how much I try to empathize, there’ll always be a lingering sense of disconnect… because there’s really no true basis for any form of attachment, is there? But here’s the thing: I’m… I’m not supposed to get over Houndoom’s death like it’s nothing! It was my starter Pokémon. I was its friend, its _Trainer_. I’m supposed to actually feel sad for it. I… I’m supposed to feel _something_ concrete for it! Not this… indifference.”

…

“Are… you okay?” asked Yuri. 

“Yes, don’t worry!” Yuuri assured. He reached out, grabbed a bun from the plate on the table, and offered it to Yuri. “Here, take it! You didn’t eat much just now. You must be hungry!” 

Yuri was not _that_ hungry, but he took the bun anyway. It had cooled down a little from the time Yuuri entered the room, but the red bean filling still held up pretty well. All things considered, it was rather tasty. He gobbled it up in seconds. 

“My parents… they told me Houndoom loved eating those buns a lot, when it was alive. So every time I come back home to visit – at least, during the past five years – I make sure it gets its fill. Hopefully the aroma of the buns reaches it, wherever it is. It’s… a silly little ritual, I know, but it’s the best I can do right now. Of course, I know it’s not enough. It’s never enough. I still owe it so much.” 

“You…owe it?” 

“Yes! And not just Houndoom! Everyone I’ve loved and loved me in the past, the people I’ve encountered before losing my memories, I owe something to them! Like my family! I know they care a lot about me, but right now, it’s just them loving me… and me trying my best to love them. And I guess I do love them in a way, really; I’m truly grateful for them for their unconditional support no matter what I’ve become! Yet… I feel that the bond between them and me is supposed to go way, way deeper than that! Because… we’re family, you see?” 

“But they’re not dead,” Yuri said bluntly. “At least you can still salvage something out of it.”

“You’re right, Yurio, but… it wasn’t easy. Because of my Elite Four duties, I travel around a lot. And in the occasion I do return… I… I don’t exactly feel compelled to stay for long.”

“What? Why???”

“You see… when I was ten, I set out from home for my Trainer’s journey. My formative years, the experiences that shaped me to become who I was, all those were spent on the road, in the company of my Pokémon team. What I’m trying to say is… my family… they only knew me as a child… who was probably different than the me that I grew up to be before losing my memories… who was probably way different than the me right now. So essentially, in their eyes, I left home and came back as a stranger, and just when they were starting to get used to me, I left again and came back as another stranger. I’m no longer the person they once knew and loved. It’s not fair for them… to spend so much effort in trying to reach out to a stranger, getting to know him all over again – and getting so little in return. How disappointed they must have felt, when they came to the realization that I’m way different from what they remembered me to be! They probably don’t feel that way of course… but I just can’t help feeling that they do. That they’re being nice to me… out of politeness… and of duty, like how I’m treating them… and Houndoom… not that I _want_ to.”

“But it’s not your fault!” exclaimed Yuri. “They should understand that! _You_ should understand that! It’s not like you want to lose your memories, or anything! It’s not like you want to owe them anything!” 

“Yes, but I _do_ owe them! That is a fact!”

“Then why don’t you just owe the whole Ibara region as well, huh, for conveniently forgetting about the Crimson Society incident? Oh no, how dare you not feel our rage and pain and injustice – hey! Wait, I was just kidding!”

“But it’s true! I… I realized it when I was battling the Grunts at Mt. Hermosa. The whole region – you, Yuko, Victor… everyone has some sort of personal grudge against them. You guys feel strongly – feel _something_ – against them, but I… I can’t. I’m fighting them… only because what they’re doing is wrong… because it’s my duty as an Elite Four member. But as an Ibara citizen… that’s not why I’m supposed to fight, is it? I don’t think that’s right of me… to be this way…”

“Oh, shut the hell up!” growled Yuri. “Instead of whining here to me, why don’t you do something about it, then! You know, take revenge against whoever wiped out your memories! Go on a hunt across the globe if you need to, rather than, you know, going on dates with Victor all the time!”

Yuuri smiled warmly at him. “It’s not all dates, Yurio. As Pokémon League representatives, we do have our official duties too. Investigating the rise of Crimson Society is one of them. But… I guess I haven’t told you the story of how we first met, have I?”

“No… you haven’t.” Yuri began sitting up straighter in his cushion seat, despite himself. “What happened?”

“So… I lost my old memories, right? My very first _new_ memories were… disorientating, to say the least. I couldn’t make sense of anything. I didn’t know who I was, where I was, how, when and why I ended up in this state. So I did the most logical thing I could think of at that time. I completely panicked. I ran away, crying, but it was not like I knew where I could run. The environment I was in did not help either. All around me, I could see nothing but snow, snow and only snow. And when I thought that all hope was lost… I met Victor.” 

“No way!” interjected Yuri. “You can’t be serious! That’s… that’s so cheesy! It totally sounded like a script of a movie!” 

“But it’s true! He really was the first person I saw. I mean, who else is crazy or capable enough to train his Pokémon during a blizzard? So I crawled over to him, sobbing like a maniac, begging him to help me. It was… really embarrassing, now that I think of it, but at that point of time, I didn’t care. All I wanted was to get out of that hellhole… to get to someplace warm, and safe, and familiar. And Victor… he didn’t chase me away. He guided me back to the nearest town, which, I found out later, was Snowpoint City of the Sinnoh Region. He brought me back to the house he was staying in… took care of me… listened to my story… and offered to help me with everything I needed.

“Wow… you were lucky. Imagine if you ran into bandits, or something.”

“I know, right? It was a miracle that I ran into him! Throughout my stay at Snowpoint City, he… he really went all out for me, do you know that? I had a pretty hard time adjusting to life in the beginning, but because he was there… I was never hopeless or miserable. He never left my side. He was the one who helped me discover my name and my hometown from the Trainer Card in my bag. He was the one who introduced me to my Pokémon companions, in the Poké Balls I never knew I had. He was the one who taught me about training and battles and so many other things. We filled most of our days battling in the snow, pitting our skills against each other for fun, making up all sorts of crazy rules and challenges. Those… were days I would always treasure. And no matter what, he was always so nice… and sweet, and patient with me. Everything he did, he only did with my happiness and well-being in mind. It’s all thanks to his guidance that I became who I am today.”

“So… you told him you wanted to become a member of the Elite Four?” 

“No, I didn’t, actually! It was Victor who gave me this idea. He told me I was a natural at battling, and I should give it a shot. At that time, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I had no goals, no purpose, no nothing; they had all been forgotten to me. So… I agreed. Of course, knowing that Victor was Champion played a huge part in that decision as well. I… want to go with him wherever he went. I want so much to be with him. I can’t imagine spending my days without him. I took the test, passed it with flying colors, and the rest is history. So now I have a purpose in my life – to test the skills of aspiring elite Trainers, and use my strength to help others who need me. I have Victor and my beloved Pokémon beside me. I don’t think… there’s anything more I could ask for. I… I’m really content with what I have right now. I’m… really looking forward to what the future has in store for the two of us. But yet… no matter how much I try to let go, my unresolved past… the fact that it’s unresolved… it still haunts me. So to answer your question, why didn’t I do something about it… I am. I _am_ doing something about it right now. I guess you can call it my secret side quest.” 

“A secret side quest? You mean… something that even Victor doesn’t know?” 

“I… didn’t tell him.”

“Why not?”

“He’s a pretty busy man. I don’t want to bother him with my trivial matters, you know? Besides… I don’t think he’ll _understand_. He… doesn’t think I should be dwelling on a past that I would probably never recover in my lifetime. You know him. All this time we’re together, he's always been encouraging me to appreciate the present, to be content with the things I have right now, to enjoy to the fullest all the fleeting, precious moments we have with the people around us. He once told me… that if we keep comparing our current realities to an ideal in our heads of what could have been… of what _should_ have been… then we’re going to miss out on so much. Then we’re not truly living fulfilling lives. Then we’ll always be unhappy.”

“I guess… he doesn’t want to see you unhappy.”

“With good reason, too. The number of times I cried over my lost memories… I know how much it pained him to see me that way. He has done so much for me, tried so hard to prevent me from spiraling into despair… and it worked! I’m truly, truly happy, being with him! But… it’s not all about myself, is it? The memories in my brain might be gone for good, but remnants of them still exist in real life, in the form of Houndoom’s ashes, in the form of my family, in the form of you too, Yurio! I can’t… just walk away from all of it! After all, none of them… none of them deserves this. None of them deserves this at all! They deserve nothing less than a Yuuri who remembers his whole past, a Yuuri who remembers how much he loves them, who feels everything he is supposed to feel towards them, with all his heart! It’s the only way I can truly make it up to them. If it means subjecting myself to unnecessary stress and misery, then so be it. I… I actually don’t mind.”           

“Hence… your secret side quest!” 

“Right! When you spoke about revenge… well, you’re not too far off. I’ve been… doing a lot of research throughout my travels. I want to find out what caused my amnesia and whether I can reverse it. And in the lore of the Sinnoh region… I think I found my answer.”

The Elite Four member pulled out an old-looking hardcover book from his bag and flipped to a particular bookmarked page. On it, were three similar-looking Pokémon, with gray bodies and a red jewel encrusted in each of their foreheads. The only differences between them were the shape and color of their heads. One was pink, one was blue, and the last one was yellow.

Yuuri pointed to the pink Pokémon. “That’s Mesprit, guardian of Lake Verity of Twinleaf Town. The bringer of emotions.” He moved his finger across the page to the blue Pokémon. “And that’s Azelf, guardian of Lake Valor near Pastoria City. The bringer of willpower.”

As for the yellow Pokémon… “That’s Uxie, guardian of Lake Acuity of Snowpoint City.” 

“Snowpoint City? That’s…”

“Yes, the place where it all began for me. And Uxie is… the bringer of knowledge. According to this book, it is said that to anyone who looks into its eyes… Uxie will cleanse his memories.”

Yuri’s jaw dropped. “So… you must have met Uxie at one point of time, while you were traveling in Snowpoint! And you… you must have looked…!”

“Yes! Which is why I want to meet Uxie again! I think it’s the key to restoring my past! Yet every year, I return to the Lake, and every year, I couldn’t see it. I couldn’t find it anywhere.”

“Damn!” cried Yuri. “You were so close! All you need right now is to find out how to call it out from hiding!”

“That’s right,” said Yuuri. “I haven’t made much progress though, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying! I’m not going to stop until I get my memories back, even if it takes an eternity! Even though it’s… becoming increasingly impossible at this point of time. I’m not doing this just for the people I owe, though. I… I want to do this for myself too.”

“For… yourself?”

“I know I shouldn’t be thinking about it too much… but I just can’t help it. Who I am and who I should have been… how similar are we, I wonder? How similar are our goals? Just how much of us stem from our shared, unchangeable genes, and how much of us are a result of our different experiences? I came from a whole line of Pokémon Breeders. It isn’t a job that interests the current me at all… yet I wonder, if I actually possessed the experiences I had in the past, would I have taken it up? Was the goal I set out with when I was ten actually to become a master Breeder? Was there… a remnant of that goal I should’ve been following up on, even right now?”

“So… I guess this means you owe your past self something too, huh?” said Yuri with a slight smirk. "As if the whole freaking region isn't enough!"

“Well… when you put it that way! And if you’re wondering where those thoughts came from…”

The Elite Four member reached into his bag once again… and lo and behold, he pulled out an Egg! It was slightly larger than Yuri’s and a grayish-black, like the color of charcoal, or gunmetal.

“Do you know what it’s going to hatch into?” asked Yuri.

“I don’t know. Mari doesn’t either. She hasn’t seen an Egg like this in her life. She thinks it might be a new species of Pokémon.”

“So all this while… you’ve been carrying that thing around with you?”

“Yes. Victor discovered it in my bag while we were in Snowpoint. Which could only mean that I’ve had it even before I lost my memories. Yet no matter what we did… no matter how much we walked… it still hasn’t hatched. The hot springs did not help either.” 

“Even after five years? That’s not normal, right?” 

“Definitely not. I wanted to look more into it, but Victor and Mari advised me to keep it a secret for now, at least, not until we have more information. If it’s truly a brand new Pokémon… imagine the consequences it will bring! The mere discovery of it… will shake up the world! It’s probably best if we take it slow, one step at a time.”

“Can I… can I touch it?”

“Sure, go ahead.” 

Yuri placed a trembling hand on the Egg. It was smooth, smooth as silk, and from the center, he could feel a faint, pulsing warmth, no doubt a heartbeat… 

“Perhaps… you were a Pokémon Breeder after all,” he said to Yuuri. “Perhaps that’s your actual purpose, the one that you were meant to fulfill. If you actually managed to find Uxie… perhaps you might be able to find out the reason why you’re carrying this Egg, and why it hasn’t hatched after so long.” 

“I think so too!”

“Then… you have no choice!” said Yuri, standing up from his cushion. “You _need_ to find it! I’ll help you!” 

… 

“Eh???” Yuuri sputtered. “You…? Help… me?” 

“What, you think I can’t do it?” 

“No… I just think that… you wouldn’t want to.” 

“Why not? You… you helped me so much in my Gym Battles. It’s only fair that I do something to repay you!”

“But… I mean, it’s a really personal goal of mine! You… shouldn’t be involved! Even right now, I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this! You’re… you’re not going to tell Victor, are you?” 

“Of course not!” said Yuri. “To tell you the truth, all this while, I’ve always thought of you as Victor’s follower and nothing else… going along with everything he says because for some reason, you’re incapable of making your own decisions. But I know now that you do have an actual mind of your own… and to think that you’re actually rebelling against him with this secret side quest of yours! And you know what? I… I like this side of you. I think I can kind of relate to you a little more now.”

“But I don’t want to be Victor’s follower,” said Yuuri quietly. “I want to be his equal. I want to stay by his side, just like how he’s always staying by mine. Which is why… I’m _not_ going to rebel against him! If I had to choose between staying with Victor and finding out about my past, I’ll choose Victor ten out of ten times. I’ll put an end to my quest in a heartbeat.” 

“No way…” said Yuri, a little dismayed. “How’s that even different from following???”

“Well… how should I put it? I guess it’s _me_ who’s making the decision to stop my quest, and not him who’s making the decision for me! I’ll be stopping because I want to… because I don’t want to lose everything I have with him… because I consider him more important than anything else in this world. You… still don't seem convinced."

"I'm not! It still sounds like following to me! But… whatever! It's not like I can tell you how to live your damn life!"

"Hey, it's not like I actually have to make the choice right now, Yurio! In fact… I _don’t want_ to have to choose, do you understand? Which is why… which is why I hope you’ll keep my side quest a secret.”      

“Sure,” shrugged Yuri. “I guess it doesn't hurt me to do so. Plus… I guess I don’t want to see the two of you break up. He’s… he’s the closest person you have right now. You… need him. You’ll probably die without him. And I don’t want to have to clean up your rotting corpse off the ground.” 

“Thanks so much,” grinned Yuuri. “Perhaps… perhaps if I do manage to find Uxie, I’ll let you have a go at it? See if you can capture it for your team?”

“Now we’re talking! Rest assured, Yuuri, my lips are sealed for the rest of my life!”

They sat side by side in a comfortable silence for a few more moments. Before they knew it, the sun was setting in the horizon, and it was dinnertime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the way-overdue update! This was... not an easy chapter to write. God knows how many iterations and revisions I went through. I still don't feel too satisfied with it... but the story needs to go on! The following two or so chapters are going to be similarly painful to write as well, so I don't think they'll be up too soon either. And if you're wondering why I'm torturing myself like this... it's because Yurio is threatening to kill me if I don't finish his story. So I guess this is my life now ><


	26. Your So-called ‘True Intentions’

Noon, the next day.

Sometimes, you don’t know what you are missing out on until you actually try it.

Rice, short-grained, firm and plump, like luminous pearls in a treasure chest. Breaded cutlet slices, juicy and tantalizing, fried to golden-brown perfection. To top it all off, the sunny yellow yolk of an egg, drizzled all over the rice and meat, with extra garnishes of leek and onion slices. They called this ‘katsudon’… but to Yuri, it was much more than that. Not just food, this was practically a work of art!

“I can’t believe it’s your first time eating this!” Mari remarked. She finished her lunch a couple of hours before Yuri started; now she found herself deriving a strange amusement in watching the blonde Trainer eat. To her, katsudon was probably the mort ordinary meal out of the all the ordinary meals in the Katsuki household. Never did she imagine that something so mundane for her and her family could actually be the one of the best meals on earth for someone else! Seeing Yuri devouring the katsudon with such gusto… it was nothing short of refreshing.

“This is awesome stuff!” came Yuri’s reply, stuffing his mouth enthusiastically with more cutlet slices. “I can’t believe it’s my first time eating it either!”

“Don’t they have katsudon back in Arethusa Town? What do you guys even eat, anyway?”

“My Grandpa’s into pirozhki recently,” said Yuri, gulping down a huge spoonful of rice. “They’re all he ever makes these days. I’ve been eating pirozhki for breakfast, pirozhki for lunch and pirozhki for dinner every single day, right till the day I started on my Trainer’s journey! And he says isn’t going to stop until he gets his perfect recipe! Can you believe this guy? I bet he’s still making them, right at this moment! Not that I’m complaining!”

“You totally sound like you’re complaining,” teased Mari.

“Shut up! You’re only saying that because you haven’t tried them yet! My Grandpa makes the best pirozhki in the world! Even better than this katsudon we’re having right now! And you better believe it!”

“Is that so?” laughed Hiroko, Yuuri and Mari’s mother, entering the dining room with drinks and a Berry platter. She was a kindly woman with chin-length hair and glasses, who looked suspiciously similar to Yuuri… or maybe it was the other way around. “If your grandfather is really as good as a chef as you said… I wouldn’t mind eating his creations every day either! After all, you can never really go wrong when it comes to pirozhki! There are so many fillings out there – potatoes, mushrooms, cheese, even Berries – and no matter what you choose in the end, it’s bound to be delicious! We really do have to try his pirozhki some day, don’t we?”

“For sure!” grinned Yuri. “One day, I’m going to introduce you all to him! And then you’ll all know what I’m talking about!”

It was yet another day in the Katsuki Day Care, yet another day of waiting around, but in some way or another… Yuri might just get used to this.

\---

 

Yuri was pouring over the Town Map in the living room when something caught his eye. It turned out that just south-east of Eglanteria Town, straight down Route 9… was none other than Florentina Forest, the site of that one infamous battle all those years ago. And right past Florentina Forest lay Florentina Town… because where else would Florentina Town be located, right? 

He made his decision. He knew exactly where he wanted to go this afternoon.

The very first thing Yuri noticed about Route 9 was how desolate it was. Sure, there were the usual trees and tall grass, a lake in the far-off distance, a hilly area with even more tall grass, yet there was not a single wild Pokémon or Trainer in sight. No one to jump out at him for a quick battle, no one to divert him from his path… Before he knew it, he had already arrived at the edge of the forest. If anything, it was a little unnerving, even for him. _What’s with this place? Did everyone happen to… abandon it, or something? Was it because of Crimson Society? It doesn’t look like it was affected by Yveltal’s attack – or any attack, really – and even so, five years is a pretty long time! It might have been dangerous to reside anywhere near Florentina Forest before, but surely it’s safe by now! What are they, a bunch of cowards? Why is it that I’m the only one here?_  

“Hey! Stop right there!”

Yuri immediately snapped out of his thoughts. Of course; the moment when he least excepted anyone to show up, _someone_ would have to magically appear out of nowhere all of a sudden – in this case, a young Police Officer and a Manetric. Instinctively, he reached for his Poké Balls in his pocket… 

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to battle you,” said the Officer. “I just wanted to inform you that the Florentina Forest is out of bounds to all visitors. Please turn back.”

“What?” sputtered Yuri. Come to think of it, Victor _did_ mention something about the place being closed off to the public some time back, but… was he going to give up just like that? And waste his entire afternoon? _And_ lose an argument to some random obnoxious guy he just met? Not in his life. “I didn’t come all the way from Eglanteria Town for this crap! Why can’t I enter?”

“Pokémon League’s orders.”

“Screw the Pokémon League! Let’s battle! If I win, I’m going into the forest!”

“Nice try, but no. I’ve received explicit instructions that no one, and I mean no one, is permitted to go any further from this point. Not even me! It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you’re human or a Pokémon. If you try to force your way through, Manetric will stun you with Thunder Wave. If you try to Fly there, Manetric will strike you down from the sky with Thunder. Just give it up and go home, kid.” 

“But –”

The Officer shook his head firmly. “No exceptions.” 

“Even for me?” said a voice.

Silver-gray hair. Piercing sapphire eyes. They could only belong to one man and one man alone – Victor Nikiforov, in all his poise and splendor.

“Champion Victor!” gasped the Officer. “When did you – my apologies! I didn’t get to finish my sentence just now! What I meant to say was, well, no exceptions, save for you! Of course you can enter the forest! I was just… exaggerating things a little, just for the sake of stopping this Trainer in his tracks! He’s being a bit… difficult –” 

“Well, I wouldn’t be so difficult for you, if _you_ weren’t making things so difficult for _me_!” retorted Yuri.

Victor chuckled at his small outburst. “Relax, Yurio! You know he’s just doing his job – and a very good one at that, too! No doubt about it, the Pokémon League will be pleased! _I’m_ pleased!”

“Thank you! Now would you please kindly tell this young man to leave this place?”

“On the contrary, Officer, this young man’s coming with me!” declared Victor. He flipped his silver bangs and sauntered casually into the forest. “Come on, Yurio,” he beckoned. “Let’s go!”

“What? Hey! Hold on!” the Officer shouted after him. “You can’t –”

“Pokémon League’s orders!” said Victor, swiveling his head round one last time to flash the Officer his signature pearly white smile.

“Understood,” said the Officer with a defeated sigh. He turned to Yuri. “You heard the guy. Pokémon League’s orders. Go on in.”

Yuri threw him a triumphant smirk and dashed off.

\---

 

It did not take Yuri very long to catch up with Victor. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.

“Helping you, of course!” The tone of Victor’s voice was lighthearted as per usual, which was odd, considering the kind of place they were in right now. “I saw you staring at that particular portion of the map for a _really_ long time back at the Day Care, so I put two and two together and figured you needed me to be there! Seriously though, is this how you thank your savior? I literally saved your entire trip from being a wasted one!”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I get it, you’re the Champion, you have _privileges_ , you make the rules, you’re awesome, thanks, whatever!”

“Not the response I was hoping for, but I’ll take it!” chuckled Victor. “But just so you know, I don’t make _all_ the rules in this region! The Pokémon League Association isn’t the government or anything like that! In fact, it isn’t headed by the Champion at all! It’s led by a director and a couple of other board members, who are, in all honesty, a huge pain in the neck at times… but because of my role in the war against Crimson Society five years ago, they were more than willing to give me full authority of Florentina Town and Florentina Forest.”

“And you chose to cordon them off from the rest of the world?” 

“That’s right. Perhaps you already knew why I did that, Yurio.”

Yuri thought about it for a moment. He thought about the words Victor said to him back in Dortmund City… about Crimson Society, about Yveltal, about his parents, about the horrors that Yveltal had done to his parents and the people of Florentina Town. All things considered… it was probably the best decision he could have made. Let the place remain untouched and unmarred, let there not be a hair out of place or a missing leaf from a tree, preserve everything in its entirety, preserve the lives that were gone and lost in the final battle, with the hope that they would return someday. He realized that no matter what state his parents were currently in, whether they were dead or alive or something in between, at least he could be certain that their physical bodies were safe… had been safe this whole time… would be safe from here on as well. It was a reassuring thought, yet so long as they remained like that, so long as Crimson Society remained at large, he knew he would never be truly content.

“Stick to the pavement, alright?” said the Champion. “We wouldn’t want to disturb anything, would we?”

Florentina Forest was teeming with all sorts of plants, like any other forest should be… yet unlike any other forest, teeming with _life_ it was not. The lush viridian of the foliage was replaced by a dull ash-gray, the air was dry and stale, and despite the chill wind blowing through the area, the leaves did not rustle in the trees, and the grass did not dance and sway. It was a tranquil and quiet place all right, but in a twisted, uneasy sort of way, the kind of silence one would experience in a graveyard or a morgue – and definitely not the kind that would bring peace to the hearts of anyone.

“Where are we going?” asked Yuri.

“The very place where I fought Red Phantom,” Victor replied. “I figured that’s what you’re here for, no?”

Well… it was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision than anything… but Yuri nodded his head anyway.

They trudged on forward. As they ventured deeper and deeper into the ocean of trees, the scenery began changing for the worse. First, the vegetation began thinning out, then an uprooted tree here and there… patches of burnt grass, broken branches, shattered rocks, deep gashes on the tree barks, puddles of dried-up blood on the ground… were those the remnants of the final battle between Victor and the Red Phantom? Was that what a fight against a Legendary Pokémon – no, multiple Legendary Pokémon – looked like? The intensity… the sheer ferocity… Yuri’s mind was completely blown out of the water. Could Torracat and the others have survived a battle like that? And to think that Victor Nikiforov – the man standing in front of him right now – actually had…!

And then they arrived at a clearing – a ‘clearing’ in every sense of the word, because there was literally nothing there but soil and dust and even more bloodstains. It was as if that section of the forest got run through a steamroller into the ground… or rather, vaporized into thin air.

“Here we are,” said Victor. “The heart of the final battle.” 

“What… the hell happened here?” 

“Oblivion Wing, mostly. Yveltal’s signature attack. It inhales… gets ready… its eyes and wings glow brighter than anything before… and before you know it… your Pokémon are on the brink of death. And before you know it, there comes another Oblivion Wing… and another… and another…”

Yuri could have sworn that he heard a traitorous crack in Victor’s voice for a split-second there… saw a flash of pain in his steady gaze… and began to wonder how close the final battle actually was… how close Victor must have gotten from dying outright… how much of the blood on the ground belonged to the Champion and how much of it belonged to the enemy. A shiver ran up his spine at that last thought. “I thought you said that the destruction wasn’t ‘tangible’.”

“Oh, did I?” said Victor, letting out an airy laugh. “I guess that explains the stunned look on your face, Yurio! Hmm… maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough back then. What I meant was that there was practically no physical damage to the areas surrounding the forest, or the places and people and Pokémon that were not involved in any way with the final battle. Their souls were severed from them, nothing more, nothing worse. But before all that… before Yveltal took away their lives… there was me, and _him_ , and the entire forest to ourselves. We went all out. We… held nothing back. And even though I tried my best to contain the destruction, when someone like the Red Phantom was involved, there was no way things would be left unscathed.”

“And you still managed to take him down all by yourself.” 

“Well… I wasn’t exactly fighting alone.” 

Yuri’s eyes widened. “You weren’t?”

“It’s because I have my Pokémon with me!” Victor replied with a cheerful grin on his face, which soon gave way to a more melancholic expression. “And in a blink of an eye, five years have flown by just like that. To think that when things are finally settling in place… history is going to repeat itself again. I guess should’ve seen it coming, but… I really, really didn’t want it to.”

“Idiot!” Yuri exclaimed. “Do you seriously things are going to… _not happen_ , just because you wished really hard?” And immediately, he was brought back to Hermosa Shrine, to his fun little conversation with Crimson Admin ‘N’. It was pretty creepy how spot on the Admin’s analysis of Victor was. _‘Reality tells a different story’_ indeed… but the good thing was, it was not like they couldn’t _change_ it. “Even so,” he continued, “I don’t think it’s too late for us yet. If we don’t want a rehash of this mess, we need to do something about it. We need to take action right now! No more of this waiting crap! We need to put a halt to Crimson Society’s plans… we need to stop them from bringing their Leader back!” 

“A plan… to bring the Red Phantom back?”           

And Yuri told Victor everything he learnt from Admin ‘N’. The important things, that was. In other words… half of the things. The other half contained so much bullshit that Yuri’s mind would probably spontaneously combust if he had to recall them again; he could say them out and it still would not improve their understanding of the situation.

The Champion looked him gravely in the eye. “And you believe they can do it? You believe they’ll revive him?” 

“Only if we let them! But we aren’t going to, are we? That’s what I told the Admin as well. Because no matter what they do, we – you me, Yuuri, Otabek – are going to stop them together!”

Victor’s eyes lit up. “That’s right, Yurio! And this time, we have a lead that we can follow! Those Void Scrolls the Admin mentioned about… we need to get our hands on them, somehow. We need to find out what those instructions are… what the Crimson Ritual is all about. Only then we can anticipate their every move – and counter them. Still, it’s pretty scary isn’t it, how they managed to amass so many members… so much power… I bet the person called ‘Scarlet Rose’ has something to do with this.” 

“Obviously! I know that!” 

“You do, don’t you?” chuckled Victor. “To tell you the truth, Yurio… just like you… I can’t stand Crimson Society too, you know? I want to wipe them out for real this time round… forever and ever until the end of time.” 

“I’m not surprised,” said Yuri. “They really screwed you over by returning. Your credibility, your reputation, all your past efforts dashed –”

“No,” said Victor. “It’s not just about that. I just… don’t want this world to be destroyed, do you get it? There are so many things here that are so dear to me… too many things that I can’t bear to lose. And Crimson Society… I know that they’re more than capable of taking them away from me for good… and I don’t want that to happen to me, not now, not ever. Perhaps you could even say that I’m a little threatened by them… but you can’t blame me for feeling this way, can you?”

Yuri shook his head.

“Which is why… no matter what they do… I’m not going to let them get their way. I’m going to use everything in my power to put their schemes to an end.”

\---

 

Emerging from Florentina Forest brought them to their final destination of their little field trip – Florentina Town. To say that the place did not exactly evoke fond memories for Yuri was a severe understatement; in fact, there was a point of time when the place could go to hell for all he cared and he would not bat an eye… but oh, how he regretted those thoughts so much right now! Not more than ten steps into the town, he saw his first Pokémon in miles – a Gogoat – but how could anyone call that a Pokémon, when it was ashen all over, when it was utterly stationary, when it wasn’t even breathing, or thinking, or _living_? No, not a Pokémon – it was a slab of rock, a statue, a shell of its former self.

The Gogoat was just the first. A couple of meters away, there was a Crabominable… a Lickitung… a Slakoth… a Sawsbuck. And among them, humans… people, arrested in motion, frozen in stone, their faces registering pure shock and terror. It felt like they wandered into a grayscale painting… like time had stopped for everyone but them… like they were the only ones alive in a post-apocalyptic world. It felt too unreal for words, yet everything was as real as it could get. Yuri completely expected this; it was exactly how Victor described the place to be, but that did not stop the queasiness brewing in his stomach…

And then it hit him. “My parents must be around here, somewhere!” His feet sprang to motion; he started dashing from statue to statue, scrutinizing every single detail, every single feature. And if he were lucky, he could find someone familiar, someone he once knew… 

“Yurio!” Victor called after him. “What are you doing?” 

“Finding them, obviously!” Yuri shouted back.

“It’s not going to work!” said Victor. “This isn’t Arethusa or anything like that! It’s actually pretty huge for a town, and there are just too many people here! Too many buildings to check out! It’s going to take us forever!”

“Does it look like I give a shit?” said Yuri, glaring daggers at Victor. “Just try and stop me!”

“…What do they look like?”

“Blonde – oh, right. My mom… her hair was really long…” 

The search went on for hours. Yuri had on his roller skates to cover more ground in a shorter amount of time… yet in the end, even after all their efforts, they did not manage to find anything remotely close. Victor was right. It was like sifting out a needle from a haystack. 

“Are you giving up already?” asked Victor. 

“It isn’t important, anyway,” Yuri replied scornfully. “We’ll probably find them given enough time, but what’s the point? I already know their statues are safe somewhere. That’s good enough.” A lump was forming in his throat, and he swallowed it hard. “I mean, of course it’ll be nice to see them again! But if I can’t… who the hell cares? I’ve gone five years without them and I’m doing just fine! I don’t need to see them! It wouldn’t make a difference to me!”

Victor placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re right. You don’t need to right now. When you finally see them, it would be the day when they’re completely cured from this, wouldn’t it? It’s going to be a happy reunion. Laughter and hugs everywhere. You wouldn’t want to see them in this sorry state, would you?”

Yuri almost let his tears flow, then. Almost.

“Shall we go back?” asked Victor.

“No,” said Yuri. “There’s still one more place I want to visit!” 

Yuri wasn’t sure if he remembered the directions, but it turned out that he did not need to. It was right smack in the middle of Florentina, the centerpiece of the town – the Florentina Stadium. The open-air roof, the steel pillars, the revolving doors, everything was just like how he remembered it. He ran up to one of the pillars, placed a hand on it, and drew in a deep breath. The memories began flooding back again… the Tournament… the loss… the anguish… the vow he made. He never lost sight of his goal, of course; if anything, today merely reaffirmed it, rekindled it, made if burn brighter and stronger than ever before. Everything he wanted to be, everything he had been working towards all this while… but it wasn’t just about his dignity and his glory anymore, was it? He needed this strength, not just for himself, not just for the sake of avenging those he had lost… but also for his region, his home, the people and Pokémon who were actually alive right now, the people and Pokémon that should not be meeting the same fate as their predecessors in Florentina. He needed this strength to take down Crimson Society. To protect everyone. He needed this strength more than ever.

“Alright, I’m done,” said Yuri.

“Really?” said Victor, a little taken aback. “That’s it? Don’t you want to… I don’t know? Go inside?” 

“No, it’s fine. I’m done. Let’s go back.”

Victor raised an eyebrow. “So you came all the way here… just to touch a pillar.”

Yuri flushed bright red, suddenly all too aware of how weird his actions must have seemed to the other guy. “Shut up!” he screeched. “I’m just… strengthening my resolve, that’s all! You got a problem with that?”

“I… I think I kind of understand,” said Victor, stifling laughter. “After all this stadium was where you first battled Yuuri – and lost, wasn’t it?” He got down on one knee, scooped up a handful of sand from the ground, and let the grains trickle all the way down from in between his fingers, smiling to himself as he watched them fall. “In a way… I guess you can say… it was the day everything began.”

“Everything?”

“Yes, everything, for you as a Trainer! Judging from your expression just now… that was probably when your desire to become Pokémon League Champion kicked into overdrive, isn’t that right? How old were you back then? Nine? Ten?”

“Almost ten,” replied Yuri. “And what were you, thirty?”

“Twenty-two!” exclaimed Victor at once, looking insulted. “And Yuuri was eighteen! Seriously, Yurio, I’m not that old!”

“Sure you’re not,” said Yuri with a smirk. There was a brief hesitation, and the blonde boy spoke up again. “I mean… I know you’re not. That… went overboard, huh?”

Victor’s jaw dropped to the ground. “Yurio! Holy…! What came over you?”

And Yuri’s face went all red again. “Don’t you _dare_ speak of this ever again, you got that?”

The smile on Victor’s face was the widest Yuri had ever seen in quite some time. “But _this_ sort of behavior from you, Yurio? It’s like encountering a shiny Pokémon in the wild! I can’t just ignore it!”

Yuri gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stare challengingly into Victor’s eyes. “Whatever! If you want a freaking explanation, I’ll give you one right this instant! So shut your mouth and listen up, got it?”

Victor gazed back at him, his blue eyes twinkling with curiosity and amusement. “I’m all ears, Yurio.”

\---

 

Yuri took a deep breath. “Look, I needed to thank you, alright? I mean, you were the one who got me into the forest in the first place! And on top of that, you helped me search for my parents too! Even though you know all too well we’ll fail… but you still went along with me!”

Victor cocked his head to the side. “Hey, don’t mention it –”

“No! That’s not all! Yesterday… Yuuri told me… stuff. How you two met, and how you went out of your way to help him cope with his… memory issue. How you were constantly by his side every day, cheering him on, stupid things like that! And now that I think about it, I realized you’re doing the same for me right now, aren’t you? How you’re bettering my Pokémon, giving me advice for my Gym Battles… and I’m not even paying you! Rather, you’re the one who’s paying for all my stuff! So naturally, I would think that you have some top-secret motive up your sleeve, some shady reason why you’re treating me so nicely. But… as I got to know you more, I realized that… that’s not true, isn’t it? You’re doing this… because you’re a good person, simple as that. You’re so good that it’s so… so… stupid! Not only that, you’re a really, really strong Trainer to boot! I had you pegged wrong this entire time! And I’ve said some horrible, untrue things to you, in the past. Even now… like, why the hell are you so nice to me? I’m not even that nice to you! Do you know how dumb that is?

“Yurio… I didn’t think…”

“Argh… whatever! I just want to… thank you for everything, and apologize too, alright? Everything you achieved… your accomplishments… your Champion title… yeah, sure, you didn’t really defeat the Red Phantom back then, but still, I really, really feel that you deserve all of your accolades. So there! I said what I wanted to say. Take this however you want.”

The look on Victor’s face was priceless. “Yurio! I… I didn’t think you’d actually feel that way about me. Thank you! I’m really flattered, but… to be honest, _I’m_ the one who has to apologize to you! Because… the thing is, well, I _do_ have an ulterior motive for training you!”

…

…

“WHAAAAAAAT???”

“Yeah… that’s a thing!” said Victor sheepishly. “Sorry, Yurio!”

“Oh my god!” groaned Yuri. “Are you seriously kidding me?”

“It’s the truth!” said Victor. “I wasn’t originally planning on telling you any time soon, but after hearing everything you just said, I just couldn’t stick to that any longer. Now I feel even worse, for hiding my true intentions from you all this while.”

“I can’t believe this,” said Yuri, burying his head in his hands. “I can’t believe I was right all along, and yet…!”

“I’m terribly sorry, Yurio,” said Victor once more. “But if anything, it’s never my intention to harm you in any way.”

“Then spill! What the hell are your so-called ‘true intentions’?”

Victor sighed. “It’s… about the final battle. I didn’t manage to save your parents, and on top of that, you were badly injured as well, squandering away five of the most precious years in your life! All this while, it’s been weighing heavily on my mind, and I feel like I need to make it up to you, somehow. Like I owe you a gigantic favor that might never be repaid no matter what I do. I just… want to make you feel better, to make your life easier, after all that unnecessary suffering you had to go through… because of me. In a way… you can say that I’m _using_ you… using your willingness to do anything for your goals… to atone for my mistakes from all those years ago.”

“Really? That’s it?” That was… kind of anticlimactic. Yuri was expecting some grand convoluted master plan, deception and betrayals of epic proportions, but surprise surprise, the truth was always much simpler, and much, much more boring. He could not help but let out a giggle. “Although… what’s with you two and feeling like you owe people?”

“I… beg your pardon?”

“Never mind. Look, I forgive you, alright? In fact, I don’t blame you for what happened to my parents. Really! Like, everything I said to you in Dortmund City was a major screw-up on my part and you know that! I didn’t mean any of it, alright? You’re not supposed to take them to heart!”

“Ah, but that doesn’t change the fact that I _did_ miscalculate, that I didn’t manage to prevent this tragedy from happening to Florentina Town. It doesn’t change the fact that I was too complacent in some way or another, that my victory against Crimson Society wasn’t _clean_ enough that they would be gone for good, forever.” 

“But you know that all of that is beyond your reach,” Yuri pointed out.           

“Perhaps. But that doesn’t stop me from wondering what thing would have been if I did things differently, if I just tried a little harder, if I went the extra mile back then. Hindsight is a bitch, isn’t it? Those thoughts… everything I’m feeling… they don’t just disappear because you said you forgave me. But,” The Champion brushed a hand across his eyes. “I’m really, really happy you did, Yurio. I’m really happy you did.”

“Then what about Yuuri, huh? What’s his reason for training me? Is it… because of the Tournament?”

Victor nodded his head. “And also because I think he feels a sort of affinity towards you. You’re one of the few remnants of his past, after all.”

 _Affinity_ … Was it the work of fate or merely a stroke of luck, that the two of them who shared the same name, who met for the first time as bitter competitors, met once again as allies and friends, fighting on the same side? And together with Victor, the person whom Yuri needed to defeat to fulfill his goal, the person who was responsible for (almost) defeating his greatest enemy… He found himself, for the first time, contemplating the sheer coincidence of such an occurrence… or were they all connected by a metaphorical thread, a greater power, something or someone that brought them all together… to fulfill a destiny greater than themselves? 

“Hey… if you want to feel guilty about using me for whatever reason, don’t,” said Yuri. “Like I said – I suspected it all this while. I suspected it the very moment you told me that you wanted to train me. But I didn’t say anything about it. I wasn’t planning on calling you out at all. Because that’ll be stupid. Because I knew that it’s a surefire way of making my Pokémon and battling skills stronger, and I wanted to get the most out of it. I wanted to get to my goal as fast as I can. In other words, I’m letting you use me, got it? No, correction – _I’m_ using _you_ as well! Which means we are even now!” 

A warm smile broke out on Victor’s face. “I guess we are! But now that the Torracat’s out of the bag, what are your plans? Are we calling this arrangement off? Are we leaving each other here to go our separate ways? Or do you still want us to travel together?” 

“…I didn’t say anything about leaving,” murmured Yuri, not meeting his gaze.

“Really?” said Victor, his eyes sparkling with joy. “Thank you! Because… for me… I still want to travel with you, Yurio! Really and truly! I really enjoyed traveling with you; I really enjoyed all of us having a great time together. And I would be really grateful if we could continue doing that! Somehow… somewhere along the way… the notion of ‘repentance’ became lost to me. And you… you’re no longer someone whom I owe a favor to, but someone whom I consider important, someone whom I consider a dear friend. Despite all your… well, violent tendencies, I really like hanging around you, Yurio. And perhaps, in some way or another, I’ve even grown to appreciate your flaws as part of who you are. I mean… they’re what makes you so headstrong and so passionate about your battles in the first place! They’re what makes you… you! So as your friend… I want to see you succeed in your goals! I want to help you win! And I’m sure Yuuri feels the same way too!” 

There was a fluttering sensation in Yuri’s heart, a soaring giddiness in his brain, as he tried to comprehend what Victor had said. It was… really nice of him… and so damned _cheesy_ , but that was typical of Victor Nikiforov; no, the scary thing was, those were more or less the same exact reasons why he wanted to continue journeying with them as well. “…You’re weird you know that, Victor? Really weird! Ultra-super weird! Embarrassingly weird! You and Yuuri both! But… I don’t hate you guys for that. It’s… good, that we’re sticking together.”

A look of mutual understanding passed between the both of them, and Yuri felt like a load had been taken off his shoulders. After all that was said, it was lucky that nothing had changed between them – no, things had definitely changed, but all for the better. No more guesses. No more suspicions. No more of being unsure. He knew he could trust them. He knew he could count on them. Deep down, he had always known that all this while… but damn, did that extra assurance feel good.

“So, what’s your ulterior motive for helping Yuuri back in Snowpoint?” asked Yuri. “Gain his trust and rob his cash?” 

“Yurio!” said Victor, absolutely affronted. “How could you ever suggest such a thing? Me and Yuuri… hmm, how should I put this? Well, have you heard of the phrase, ‘love at first sight’?”

Color rushed to Yuri’s cheeks. “What am I, five? I’m not dumb, you idiot!!! Of course I know what it means! Why are you even telling me all that?” 

“Because you totally asked for it!” replied Victor with a wink. “And not only on first sight… but the more I get to know Yuuri, the deeper I fall in love with him. After all, he was the one who made me who I am today. Believe me, Yurio, when I said that everything I had done for Yuuri was _nothing_ compared to what he had done for me. Prior to meeting him… I thought that battling alongside my Pokémon was the only thing that could make me truly happy. I craved so much for the challenge of a lifetime, for my Pokémon and me to be pushed to the very limit, and for a while, that was the only thing I had on my mind. I spent ages searching for the perfect opponent… and I found him eventually, in Florentina Forest, in the Red Phantom… but I did not enjoy our battle one bit.”

“Yeah,” said Yuri, remembering the bloodstains and ravaged trees. “I can see why.”

“How could I enjoy it, when the entire region was practically on the brink of destruction? When the survival of so many lives rested in my hands? No… far from enjoyable… it was draining… downright _painful_. But soon after that, I met Yuuri, who was lost… alone… kind of like me, now that I think about it, and seeing him smile again, seeing his face light up as he laughs, watching him bond with his Pokémon and mine, watching his condition improve day after day, watching him rejoice at the smallest of victories… it was a kind of happiness I didn’t know existed. Before long, I knew that I didn’t want to leave him. I knew that I didn’t want to leave all of this behind. I realized that… there’s more to my life than battling – someone more important than anything else in the world, someone precious, someone whom I don’t ever want to let go. And Yuuri was the one who taught me that. Being with him changed my perspective on well, everything. Those five years that we were together, traveling the world, those were the best years of my life. Those are the years I will always treasure.”

“So… no matter what kind of decision Yuuri makes, you’ll always remain by his side?” Yuri asked warily. “Even though… you might not like it?”

“If it’s what Yuuri truly wants, it’s a decision I would like,” said Victor. “All I wish for… is for him to be happy. I’m content with nothing more than that.”

“But what if it’s a decision that _isn’t_ going to make him happy?”

“…You seem awfully invested in Yuuri all of a sudden,” said Victor, narrowing his eyes. “Do you know something?”

“No way!” said Yuri at once. “I’m just asking, that’s all!”

“I’m still going to stay with him, of course,” came Victor’s reply, firm and resolute. “No matter what he chooses, I’ll support him, no questions asked. There’s no way I’m going to leave him. There’s no way I’m going to let him brave anything alone anymore.”

 _So there you have it,_ thought Yuri. _If only you’re here to hear his words right now. Your fears are totally unfounded. You don’t need to choose between Victor and your ‘secret side quest’ after all. You should be glad._ He knew that the bond between Victor and Yuuri ran way deep, but _this_ sort of mutual devotion to each other? Pretty insane stuff. The end of the world could come and rip the whole earth apart into a billion fragments, and they probably would still be clinging on to each other like their lives depended on it… which they did, in that sort of scenario. “You guys are practically made for each other,” he remarked. 

“Aww, thank you!” said Victor. “Don’t worry, Yurio, someday, you’ll find love with a special someone too!”

“And become a hopeless, sentimental sap like you? Not in my life! But still… I think I kind of get where you are coming from. Although… what you said about battling…”

“That… didn’t escape you, huh? Honestly… I’m really exhausted. After fighting the Red Phantom, I want nothing more than to take a long, long break from all of this… go on an extended vacation with Yuuri or something… which is sort of happening right now, but then I have Champion duties, ambassador duties, so many events that require me to demonstrate my skills! And with the reemergence of Crimson Society… Don’t get me wrong, I don’t despise battling – in fact, I guess I still love it as much as I did when I first started out! But sometimes… I just want to throw away my responsibilities and forget everything… do the things I want to do… experience everything in life that I’ve missed out on…”

There was something about this that bugged Yuri big time. If he ended up having to battle a weary and unenthusiastic Champion who had every reason to intentionally throw the match, just so that he could abdicate his duties and fulfill his lame vacation dreams with his stupid boyfriend… well, that wouldn’t mean anything for him if he won, would it? That wouldn’t prove that he was truly the strongest Trainer in the region. That wouldn’t feel as satisfying.

“Of course,” continued Victor with a grin, “if you think I’m going to give up my title to you just like that… then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you! Because above everything, above whatever battle fatigue I might have… there is still my pride. I don’t like losing. I don’t like being second best. It’s the worst insult anyone could ever give me. And because of this, I’m still training every day. I’m still working hard with my Pokémon, working to maintain my top form. So if you want to become Champion, Yurio, you’re going have to work just as hard for it, understand? I’m not going down without a fight to the finish – if, at all!”

Words could not describe how relieved he was when he heard that. He had never seen that side of Victor before. The petty side, the competitive side – now that was what a Champion was supposed be like! He didn’t think that Victor had it in him, but now that he knew he had, Yuri found himself grinning back, wider than ever. “I expect nothing less!”


	27. Reaching To The Heavens

It went without saying, of course, that Yuri made the most out of his time in Eglanteria Town. From leveling his Pokémon to discussing battle strategies with Yuuri and Victor… from thinking about new movesets to acquiring battle items from the Poké Mart… so long as his main goal was still not met, there was absolutely no reason why he should be slacking off! Even so… because of how idyllic Eglanteria Town was, it was hard not to get caught up in their pace. And despite himself and all his determination, Yuri felt like easing up the pressure a little. After all, he reasoned, there was absolutely no harm in taking a break once in a while to unwind and recharge.

And the best way to do it? Strengthening his bonds with his Pokémon of course – grooming them, feeding them loads and loads of delicious Poké Puffs, and playing games with them. It helped that the Day Care had boxes and boxes of yarn lying around for some reason, so all Yuri needed to do was to roll them into small tufts, toss them to his Pokémon, and ask his Pokémon to headbutt them back to him. It was a genius idea, if he did say so himself, killing two Delibird with one stone by increasing both Affection and his Pokémon’s dexterity at the same time. Of course, before long, everyone’s competitive streak took over, changing the supposedly relaxing game into a full-blown race to see who could bounce back the most balls of yarn. So far, Torracat looked to be leading, with Luxio rapidly catching up in score… although Golisopod did not seem to be doing too shabby either. And when Yuri got bored of making balls altogether, he would toss out the entire huge lump of yarn straight from the box… which of course, tumbled all over his Pokémon in a tangled mess of thread and wool, leading to fits and fits of giggles.

On certain days, just as the sun was about to set, he would, at Hiroko’s request, take a trip down to the Katsuki family’s orchard to gather as many Berries as he could for the evening’s dessert. To add to the fun, he would let his Pokémon out of their Poké Balls to pick the Berries they liked… which turned out to be pretty much anything they could get their hands on. It did not take long for them to get their pouches full. With that, they would all be heading merrily back, ready for a sumptuous dinner and whatever magic Hiroko and her husband, Toshiya, could whip up using the newly collected ingredients. The house would be filled with much chatter and right afterwards, as Mari and her parents recounted the misadventures of the Pokémon in the Day Care. Sometimes, Victor would also chip in, with stories of his travels around the world with Yuuri. When it came to Yuri’s turn to speak, he would fall back on the time he and Otabek defeated the Crimson Society Grunts in Crystalline Cave and saved the preschoolers. It had been a pretty long time since then, but looking back on that accomplishment never failed to fill him with pride.

And just like that, time flew like an arrow; before Yuri realized it, four days had already gone by.

Dawn arrived on the fifth day, and Yuri decided he would sneak in some last minute training before hitting the road once again. It was also the day that he finally decided to rent a bicycle instead of going around with his roller skates because… why the hell not? As an added bonus, the bike had a basket at the front where he could put his Egg – and several soft cushions for the sake of caution – allowing him to hasten the hatching process as he rode along. The wind in his hair, the scenery whizzing past in a blur… it was a sensation not unlike roller-skating. Soon, he reached his favorite go-to training spot – a medium-sized grass patch at the very edge of town, a quiet spot just by a bridge that reached across a clear blue river, connecting Eglanteria Town to the Celestial Pagoda. _The tallest peak of the Ibara Region… the tower reaching to the heavens…_ it was this picturesque view that had been accompanying him throughout these past four days. His grandfather used to tell him a particular story when he was a child… a story about a spire stretching so high up in the atmosphere that it was impossible for mere humans and even Pokémon to reach the top… yet if no one could get there, how could it even have been built in the first place? And more importantly, what could there be at the end of it all? It was one of Ibara’s greatest mysteries, and Yuri had always wanted to check it out… after completing his training, of course. He knew his priorities all too well.

According to Victor and Yuuri, the Gym Leader he would be battling next in Jaune Town was a specialist in Psychic Pokémon. With the Dark-type Bite equipped in their arsenals, Torracat and Luxio would be able take them down pretty handily. Still, if anyone was going to have a field day with the next Gym, it had to be Golisopod – a super-effective First Impression would hit like an absolute massive truck! Yuri was confident that he could perform well in his upcoming match; even so, he was not about to fall into the obvious trap of being complacent. A couple more levels for each of his Pokémon would not hurt. Plus, the wild Pokémon here were pretty strong, stronger than those he had encountered so far, and it would be an opportunity wasted if he did not make the most out of this time here. And there was this particular one…

_Whoosh!_

Yuri perked up his ears. Within seconds, he pinpointed the source of the noise; it came from a patch a couple of paces beside him. The grass was shaking way more vigorously than usual, as if there was _something_ inside, calling out to him, challenging him to attack it –

“Go, Luxio! Wild Charge!”

With its body fully charged with electricity, Luxio burst out of its Poké Ball and dashed into the rustling grass. Out jumped an Audino, pink and beige, with ears shaped like wings and eyes the color of blueberries. _Just what we’re looking for!_ Luxio tackled it with all its might, but the wild Audino was pretty beefy, with high HP and Defenses; it would not fall to just a single attack. Fortunately, its own Attack stats left much to be desired, and the following Pound onto Luxio barely left a scratch. The Spark Pokémon countered with another Wild Charge, and another, and another, until Audino keeled over, unable to battle any longer. 

“Great job!” said Yuri, ruffling the fur on Luxio’s head. The battle ate up quite a bit of stamina from it, but the tons of experience it gained made all the effort totally worth it. They trained for a little while more, with Torracat and Golisopod each having a go at a wild Audino as well, and before Yuri knew it, the sun was rising higher up into the sky, and it was almost time to head back. Almost. They still had about an hour left.

He found himself gazing across the river, where the magnificent Pagoda stood, and knew at once how he was going to spend the remainder of his time. Recalling his Pokémon back to their Poké Balls, he hopped onto his bike and made a beeline towards the bridge… 

… only to lock eyes with a certain Trainer who was about to head onto the bridge as well, a Trainer dressed in shades of black with a scarf around his neck… 

“Otabek!” Yuri exclaimed. “What the hell are you doing here?” 

“What else?” said Otabek, gesturing towards the Pagoda. “You too?” 

“Yeah.”

“So… I guess we’re going together.”

They made their way across the bridge, with Yuri pedaling slowly on his bicycle and Otabek walking beside him. For some reason, it seemed that they were the only ones in the area – which was pretty strange, given the Pagoda’s reputation. Was it way too early in the day? Was Eglanteria Town way too inaccessible for most tourists? Whichever the case, it did not matter to Yuri – after all, exploring the place and experiencing the mystery was the primary objective!

Entering through the main door, the two Trainers found themselves in the middle of a round chamber, vast and damp and cold. The pillars and walls were granite, battered and discolored from the thousands and thousands of years of exposure to harsh weather conditions, yet they were still holding up strong, showing no signs of buckling. And when Yuri looked directly up, he could not believe his eyes – it was none other than the pale blue sky. It became apparent to him that the Celestial Pagoda was like a donut – a really, really, really tall donut made of stone. The middle was completely hollow, with sunlight shining down from above, spreading out radially, filling the entire Pagoda with illumination and warmth. And all around them, running along the circumference of the Pagoda, storey after storey stretched high above them, higher than the eye could see. Yuri spotted a flight of stairs a short distance away, and immediately, he figured out how the place worked – go up the stairs to the next level, go round the Pagoda to reach the next flight of stairs, climb to the level above that, go round the Pagoda again to reach the subsequent flight of stairs… and so on, and so forth. _Sounds like a plan!_ It seemed straightforward and easy enough, but if Mt. Hermosa was any indication, he would probably feel tired after ten floors… then again, if Mt. Hermosa was any indication… there was a chance that he could actually conquer Celestial Pagoda as well… right?

“I’m going to climb this damned thing,” said Yuri, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I’m going to try to reach the top.”

“Are you serious?” questioned Otabek, raising an eyebrow. “From what I heard, no one in history’s ever done it. And don’t we need to return to the Day Care in like, an hour?”

“Well, in that case, let’s see how high we can go! You in?”

Otabek considered this for a moment. “Sure, why not?”

Sprinting off his bicycle and up the first flight of stairs, Yuri took his first step onto level two…

… and fell down straight through the ceiling, to the floor below!

“Yuri!” shouted Otabek, rushing over to him. “Are you okay?”

“Does it look like I’m okay???” It was fortunate that Yuri did not land on his head, but other than that, it was a complete disaster – he was slumped on the floor, his whole entire body was screaming in pure agony, and he was pretty sure he was bleeding internally somewhere.

Otabek sprung into action. Lifting up the hems of Yuri’s jeans, he pulled off his shoes and socks, exposing his feet in plain view. To Yuri’s utter horror, his right ankle was red and swollen, contorted at an angle that was most definitely not natural. He almost hurled at the sight. 

“Seems like a dislocation,” said Otabek. “Could you say… try moving it?”

Yuri flexed his right foot and pain coursed through his leg, stronger than anything he had ever felt recently, more intense than every ache in every part of his body combined. He drew a sharp intake of breath, clenching his fists, trying his hardest not to scream his lungs out. 

“Yeah, it’s definitely a dislocation,” murmured Otabek.

“As if you can’t tell by looking!” Yuri burst out, his voice on the verge of cracking. 

“I just wanted to make sure, that’s all,” said Otabek. He took a deep breath, positioned his hands on the injured ankle and stared into Yuri’s eyes. “In any case… do you trust me?” 

“…Huh?”

“I’m… I’m going to set your ankle back into place!”

“Wait. You… WHAT???”

“My father… he showed me how to do it once… I haven’t really practiced it on an actual person but –”

And Yuri’s mind exploded. “So… so I’m going to be your _first_??? Your stupid test subject? Like hell I’ll let you, asshole! If you place your hands anywhere even near my foot, I’ll kill you, got it? I’ll –”

_Thwack!!!_

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

It was a shriek so deafening that it could put an Exploud to shame; a shriek so piercing that if the place had windows, they would be shattered into a zillion fragments.

…

“…Try moving your ankle now, Yuri.”

Gingerly, Yuri twitched his foot, expecting another bout of suffering… but it did not come. Sure, the pain did not completely go away, it still hurt like a bitch, but at least it was sort of bearable now. At least his ankle looked more or less normal now. He had to force himself to admit it, but it was true – Otabek actually did it. 

“Great, it worked,” said Otabek, getting back to his feet and dusting the dirt off his pants. 

Yuri heaved a sigh. 

“Hey, Otabek.” 

“…Hmm?” 

“…Thanks.”

\---

 

It took some time for Yuri to find his bearings and stand up again – on one leg, with his back leaning against a pillar, for there was no way he was going to place any amount of weight on an injured ankle. All this while, he could not stop staring at the ceiling, at the huge hole he had made just now. _What What in the name of hell was that about? What is that floor even made of? Paper???_  

“I did a quick scan with my PokéNav Plus… and it turns out that almost the whole floor on level two is full of cracks,” said Otabek. “I don’t know how they turned out this way, but the tiles are barely holding on to one another. At the moment when any form of pressure is applied, they’re going to break apart and whatever’s on them is going to fall.”

Yuri realized the implications immediately. “So there’s no way we can make it past the first floor. There’s no way we can climb this.”

“Not exactly,” Otabek replied, a sparkle in his eyes. “You have a bike, don’t you, Yuri? A Mach Bike at that. If we pick up enough speed… we might be able to reach the next tile before the previous one gives way… and continue doing so for the whole of the floor until the next staircase!” 

“Sounds good to me!” enthused Yuri. “But… will my bike even be fast enough?” 

“It’s more than enough. After all, mach one… that’s the speed of sound!”

With Otabek’s help, Yuri limped up the stairs to the second floor, just before the spot where his last failure was. Then, Otabek went back down again to bring up the bicycle. “Your ankle isn’t in the best of shape to do anything, much less ride a bike,” he said matter-of-factly. “So I’ll be the one doing the pedaling instead.”

As much as he wanted to, Yuri could not argue with that. Grudgingly, he climbed on board the passenger’s seat and placed his hands on Otabek’s shoulders in front of him. “There’s an Egg in the basket,” he reminded the other guy. “If we hit the ground – ”

“We’re not going to. Trust me.” 

“…Fine! If you say so!”

Otabek tightened his grip on the handlebars and took off. Concentrating intently on the road ahead of him, he pedaled as hard as he could, gaining speed and acceleration as they went. There were a number of rocks speckled here and there on the floor at places where tiles would not collapse, but Otabek worked the bike like a pro, twisting and swerving out of the way in the nick of time. It was as if he had been doing this for all his life. At long last, they went full circle, to the staircase leading to the third floor. Yuri looked behind him and in front of him, and saw that the entire path they had traveled on was gone, crumbled into dust.

“Amazing!” he gasped, adrenaline pumping through his veins. That was a rush of exhilaration he had not felt in quite a while. “Hey… you’re actually pretty good at this!” 

“I’m just warming up,” Otabek replied, cracking his knuckles. “Ready for round two?”

“You bet!”

They climbed up to the third floor, and off they went once more. This time felt like a whole new different ride – a much wilder ride – with even more drifts and turns and a whole lot more obstacles impeding their way. Yuri’s fingernails were practically digging into Otabek’s jacket now, but somehow, he was not afraid one bit. On the contrary, he wanted to go even faster, faster than the wind, faster than the speed of sound! _At this rate, we’ll reach the top in no time!_

That was when Yuri saw it – an entire line of rocks, with only the narrowest of gaps in the middle of it all for the bike to pass through! Which meant… this was their one and only chance! If they missed, they would lose all momentum and it would be the end of the line for them. _How is this even fair!? But then, once we get through this, we’ll be in the clear for the next floor! Otabek needs to make it! He has to!_

Yuri held his breath.

There was a determined glare in Otabek’s eyes as he stomped on the pedals and steered the bike, positioning it directly in front of the opening, gaining velocity as he rode… but no, he totally miscalculated; he was leaning a little too much to the right and they were going to crash! When he realized it, it was already too late – the floor beneath them already began to fall apart to pieces, taking the two Trainers along with it! Yuri felt that all-too-familiar plunging sensation in his stomach again… but there was something much more important to worry about now! His Egg! Where was his Egg? His brain was screaming in panic, yet there was nothing his hands could do but flail helplessly around as he fell through the air…

From a short distance away, he could register Otabek’s frantic shout. “Go, Venusaur! Frenzy Plant!”

And in that moment, they stopped falling.

Yuri glanced down and saw a thick, brown root wrapped around his stomach… Frenzy Plant? Otabek must have thrown Venusaur’s Poké Ball all the way to the ground floor to save them with its attack! The roots slowly retracted, carrying him down to safety. Looking around, Yuri could see that Venusaur had managed to catch Otabek and the Mach Bike with its roots as well.

But that was not all he had to account for. “The Egg! Where is it?”

Otabek snapped a finger and a root appeared in front of Yuri, with the Egg wrapped in it. By some grand miracle of epic proportions, despite everything they had been through, the Egg remained unharmed. A gush of relief flooded through Yuri; he felt his nerves fade away. Who would have guessed… after all that was said and done, Otabek kept his words. They did not hit the ground.

\---

 

And just like that, their ascent of the Celestial Pagoda came to a dismal end.

Yuri gazed up at the ceiling once again, at the second and third floors that were practically obliterated by their attempt just now. It occurred to him just then, that the Pagoda was a major historical landmark, and they totally wrecked the entire second and third floors. “Shouldn’t we… shouldn’t we do something about this?”

“Probably not,” said Otabek. “Absurd as it sounds… I have a feeling that the damage will be repaired when we’re gone. After all, so many people must have tried in the past before us… so many people must have destroyed the same floors over and over again. The fact that we’re still _able_ to try, even to this day…” 

 _But who could’ve been repairing it? It was not like making an entire storey out of thin air was easy or anything like that!_ Yuri had no chance to entertain those thoughts, as Otabek spoke up again. “In any case, it looks like we’re done here. We should go.” 

“Wait. Seriously? Are we really going to give up just like that?” 

Otabek nodded his head. “There’s a reason why no one has managed to conquer the place, Yuri. It’s… not a goal that’s within our reach. The floor is one thing, but the higher one goes, the more difficult it is for him to cycle… _impeccably_. You’ve climbed Mt Hermosa. You know how it goes. One small mistake and it’s not three floors you’re falling through – it’s three _hundred_. A surefire chance of death. Not everyone has a Venusaur for a safety net, you know? It’s way too huge a gamble. Anyway… there’s no way we can use that path again, even if we want to.”

Yuri’s heart sank. He could almost taste his frustration. “Fine, so cycling’s out of the question, but maybe we can Fly up there, or something… anything!”

“You think those who came before us didn’t try that? I’m sure they did. But the same principle applies as well. High altitudes mean lower oxygen levels for the Flying-types. Colder temperatures. Their wings are going to have to flap much harder to stay aloft. It’s going to get real exhausting, real fast. It’s not going to work.”

“Damn it! How high does this thing go, anyway?” The tower reaching to the heavens… it seemed that ‘heavens’ was not quite the metaphor Yuri once believed, that the possibility of the Pagoda extending beyond the stratosphere into _space_ was very, very real indeed.           

“I guess we can find out,” said Otabek. He called out his Golbat and attached a small device onto its wing, and another onto its ear. Booting up his PokéNav Plus, he pressed a couple of buttons, and immediately, an image popped up on the screen – Yuri’s own face! The blonde boy blinked in disbelief, and his face on the screen blinked along with it. 

“I’ve fixed a video camera onto Golbat,” Otabek explained. “It’s pointing directly at you right now. Golbat’s going to go to the center of the Pagoda and Fly as high as possible – not all the way up, of course – and whatever the camera records is going to be transmitted back to the PokéNav Plus in real time. This way, we can see the rest of the Pagoda, even though we can’t physically climb it anymore. It’s better than nothing, at least.” 

Golbat let out a cry and took to the skies.

On the screen of the PokéNav Plus, floor after floor flew by, each looking almost identical to the others. Soon, thick clouds started to obscure the sight.

“Golbat, Defog!” ordered Otabek.

A gale of wind and the view cleared up, the clouds all blown away. And what Yuri saw next was beyond anything he had ever imagined. The walls looked like they had been chewed out by a monster Sharpedo, the floors were barely propped up by half-disintegrated columns, and giant pieces of rocks and detached structures were floating about in mid-air, like gravity did not exist. Everything looked as if they were about to break to pieces at the slightest touch… yet Yuri had this inexplicable feeling, that a gigantic flaming meteor could strike the place, and the Pagoda would still be intact. No doubt about it, there had to be some form of immense power that was maintaining a structure like this… the same power that would repair all the ruined floors… the same power that created this Pagoda in the first place. A Pokémon with strength beyond belief… prowess that was the stuff of legends… that Pokémon _had to_ be the prize at the top of the Celestial Pagoda! 

The camera panned up, and it was clear to Yuri and Otabek that there was still a long, long way to go before Golbat could reach the top. “That’s enough, Golbat,” said Otabek. “Good job. You can Fly down now.” He might be as expressionless as ever, but Yuri knew all too well how disappointed his rival must be feeling right now. Whatever Pokémon was up there, it was something they each wanted for himself. And yet… it could only remain an unattainable dream. There was no way any of them could get to it. They were probably never going to get to get a glimpse of it in their lifetimes, needless to say, capture it.

“We should… really get going now,” said Otabek.

“Yeah…” _Still… are we really going to give up just like that?_ His mind was telling him one thing, but his heart was saying another; deep down, Yuri made a vow. One day, when he became strong enough, he would find a way to solve this puzzle. He would find a way to reach the peak of the Celestial Pagoda and win his grand prize.

\---

 

When Yuuri and Victor saw the state Yuri was in, they were horrified.

“Hey, it’s no big deal,” Yuri assured them. “It could’ve been worse.”

“No big deal???” cried Yuuri. “How in the world did you get this injured in the first place?”

“We were at the Celestial Pagoda,” said Otabek. “He dropped down a hole.” That was… technically true, but it was not exactly how Yuri would describe his mishap. _Can’t you paint me in a more heroic light, asshole?_ Still, if not for Otabek, his foot would probably have been screwed up beyond repair… his Egg would probably have been smashed to bits… and he would not have made it back to the Day Care in time. He would give in to him this time round.

“Celestial Pagoda?” said Yuuri. His face relaxed into a smile. “So you guys tried climbing it too, huh?”

Yuri’s eyes widened. “Wait, you don’t mean –”

“Yup! Victor and I attempted it a couple of years back! Of course, we knew beforehand what the floor was like so we took the necessary precautions… You were lucky that you had Otabek with you, Yurio!”

“If I remembered correctly, we got to the sixth floor!” Victor chimed in. “What about you guys?” 

“Third…”

“Hey, it’s alright! As long as you had fun with the experience, that’s what counts, right?”

“Umm… Victor, I don’t think an injured ankle can be considered fun for anybody,” Yuuri pointed out.

“You tell him!” said Yuri. That… plus the knowledge that he had lost to the Champion yet again at one more thing… it was the perfect double whammy. What a bad start to his day!

“Hey, don’t worry, Yurio!” said Victor. “Luckily for you, there was a Doctor that dropped off his Pokémon today, if I’m not mistaken! I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if we use it to give you a little healing!”

Yuuri’s eyes lit up. “That’s right!” He rushed out to the backyard, and when he returned, he was holding the hand of a pink and beige Pokémon with wing-like ears and berry blue eyes – Audino! 

“Heal Pulse!”

From its eyes, Audino emitted a wave of green energy directly onto Yuri’s ankle. There was a prickly feeling, like his foot was on pins and needles… which gradually subsided, fading away into nothing but warmth and bliss. 

Yuri jumped back up to his feet and bounced a couple of times. His ankle felt as good as new – if not, better! “Thanks, Audino!” 

“ _Diii!_ ” The Hearing Pokémon was delighted to see its patient recovered and healthy.

“Funny, isn’t it, that the Pokémon you have been defeating all this while turned out to be the one that saves you in the end!” said Victor with a chuckle. “But I suppose that’s life for you! So, are you ready, Yurio? Your next Gym awaits!” 

“More than ready!” nodded Yuri, the fiery glint returning back to his eyes. “I can’t wait for my fifth Badge!” 

“Then you’ll need this!” came a voice. 

It was Mari, walking down the stairs, together with Hiroko and Toshiya. Each of them was carrying an enormous box in their hands, filled to the brim with Trainer’s essentials and supplies – Revives, Hyper Potions, Full Heals and every single type of Berry that could be found in the orchard. 

“Are… are these for us?” asked Yuuri. 

“That’s right!” said Toshiya, beaming widely. “We wouldn’t want you guys to run out of items halfway through your journey!”

“H-hey!” gasped Yuuri. “Please, no! There’s no need to! We can manage just fine with what we have! You guys… don’t need to spend so much money on us…” 

“Business is pretty good at the Day Care these days,” Mari cut in, throwing an arm around her brother’s shoulders. “Don’t fret about it, alright? Even if you don’t need these items, think about the kids at least! They’ll be pretty handy for Yurio’s upcoming Gym Battles, don’t you think so?”

“Ah… well, in that case… thank you!” said Yuuri. “Thank you so much for everything!” 

Mari folded her arms, a smirk on her face. “Still as polite as ever, huh?”

Yuuri giggled sheepishly. “Umm… thanks?” 

“Now you’re making progress!”

Hiroko turned to Yuri. “Let’s take a look at your Egg one last time, shall we?”

Yuri lifted up the Egg from the basket on his bicycle – which, for some reason, was shuddering violently in his hands. “Oh! It’s making sounds!” squealed Hiroko. “It’s about to –”

_CRACK!_

Yuri’s heart skipped a beat.

On the Egg’s thin purple shell, more and more cracks started to form… and then, in a burst of light, the Egg split open! In its place was a new Pokémon – Yuri’s brand new partner – Espurr!

At long last, the day had come. The day when they finally met each other, face-to-face. “I’ve been expecting you, Espurr!” said Yuri, his heart bursting with happiness. “Welcome to the team!”

“ _Purrrr_!” mewed Espurr, hugging its new Trainer with an excited smile on its face. 

“Aww, how sweet!” gushed Victor. “It likes you already! You guys are going to be such great friends!”

“That makes four in my party!” said Yuri, still unable to peel his eyes off Espurr. “Two more to go and my unbeatable roster will be complete! You better get yourself ready for then, Victor!” 

They bade goodbye to the Katsuki family, bade goodbye to Eglanteria Town, and it was off to Jaune Town!


	28. Showtime!!! (Part I)

It felt great to be back on the road again. Traveling down Route 10, one would expect to reach Jaune Town in a flash. But with Yuri and company… there was bound to be a whole lot of sidetracking.

This time though, it was not entirely Victor’s fault. Sure, they might have spent two whole hours trying to search for that elusive Icy Snow Pattern Vivillon he swore he saw (which, to no one’s surprise, turned out to be just a common Butterfree), but other than that, it was Yuri himself who wanted to hang back a little. Now that Espurr had hatched, he needed to train it from the very beginning, to ensure that it could stand on equal ground with Torracat and the others. Of course, Yuri was no stranger to raising a weaker Pokémon, but just thinking about the sheer inconvenience of it all and how much time it was going to consume…

“I think you’ll find this useful!” said Yuuri, placing a strange-looking device into his hands. It had the shape of a helmet, or some sort of head cage, with glass bulbs sticking out from it left right and center. “It’s the Exp. Share!” the Elite Four member explained. “Give it to Espurr, and it’ll gain experience from any battle, even if it didn’t actually participate in it! Although… what I have here is an old model… a couple of months ago, they came out with an upgraded version that allows the sharing of experience with _all_ the Pokémon in the team! But I don't have one on me right now, so…” 

“It’s more than enough!” said Yuri. Without the constant switching, without all that extra hassle, it took no time at all for Espurr to level up. Of course, it hadn't quite caught up with the others yet, not after a mere half a day of training, but it was getting there, and getting there fast.

Before long, night fell… but Yuri and the rest were still nowhere near their destination. “It’s going to be a full moon tonight,” said Victor, “so it’ll be bright enough for us to navigate our way to town. We could do that… or we could do something different! Let’s set up camp right here!”

“Great idea!” said Yuuri. “Who knows, if we’re lucky, we might be able to catch a glimpse of nocturnal Pokémon in their natural habitat!” 

Duskull, Noctowl, Morelull, Misdreavus… it was crazy how many Pokémon came out only in the hours of darkness – Pokémon Yuri had never encountered in the wild before. To think that he was missing out on so much while he was snoozing away every night! He would battle them… if not for how tired his Pokémon must be feeling after an entire afternoon of level grinding. Even so, watching all these Pokémon go about with their daily… nightly activities was enough of an eye-opener for him. The Noctowl swooping in the skies, hunting for prey… the Morelull soaking up the moonlight, their spores faintly shimmering… it was as if he had set foot into a different realm, a whole new Route 10, one filled with magic and mysticism and mystery. And the stars… hundreds and hundreds of them… points of radiant light against a vast black backdrop, gathered together in clusters and nebulas and galaxies. Yuri could not stop staring; never could he have imagined that such a wondrous view could even exist in real life. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to tear his eyes away from this sight.

“Pretty awesome, isn’t it?” said Victor. “We’re so far away from the major cities that the stars aren’t actually washed out by artificial light – this right here is the one true starry night sky! Sleeping under the starlight… waking up with the sunrise… it’s one of the best things you can ever experience in your lifetime!” 

It was then that Yuri noticed even more speckles of light flitting across the air, forming all sorts of geometric shapes in all the colors of the rainbow. A red circle, a yellow rectangle, a green hexagon… “Hey… those aren’t stars, are they? Stars don’t act like that!”

“They sure don’t,” said Otabek. “Could it be that… they’re Pokémon?”

“That’s right!” said Victor. “Volbeat and Illumise… or their tails, to be exact! The Illumise give off a sweet aroma… the Volbeat are attracted to this aroma, and together, they decorate the night sky with their Tail Glow patterns, like it’s their canvas. Combined with the stars, it makes for quite the spectacle!” 

“I’ve heard stories that the fuller the moon, the more active are these Firefly Pokémon, and the more numerous they gather,” added Yuuri. “I guess… we’re really, really, _extremely_ lucky tonight, aren’t we?” 

They spent the entire night soaking up this grand display, drifting between sleep and wakefulness, the vivid lights and vibrant hues blurring the lines between dreams, reveries and reality. Gradually, the Volbeat and Illumise started to disperse; the moon became dimmer and the stars began fading away, giving way to the majestic morning sun. It was yet another brand new day.

\---

 

Jaune Town was hardly a large town by any means, but it had an energetic and cheery vibe to it. That was Yuri’s _second_ impression of the place.

The very first thing that came to his mind was, _since when were Victor and Yuuri such a huge freaking deal?_ The moment they set foot into the town… 

“Oh wow! It’s Victor and Yuuri!”

“They’re finally here!” 

“Victor! Yuuri! We missed you so much!” 

“We’re so glad to see you both again!”           

And the two of them were pretty good sports about it too, waving and smiling to everyone who greeted them… in other words, every single person they walked past so far. Sure, they were an Elite Four and the Champion, the pinnacles of strength and talent, idolized by both Trainers and non-Trainers alike. But for some reason, this felt _different…_  like there was something _more_ to it. “You guys seem pretty popular around these parts,” Yuri remarked. 

Victor let out a chuckle. “Well, the people of Jaune Town are a friendly bunch, aren’t they?”

“Friendly?” Yuri burst out. “I don’t see them being friendly to _me_! Or Otabek! And before you say anything – no, I’m not jealous! I don’t give a Rattata's ass about random people saying hi to me on the streets! It’s just… weird! Super weird! It’s like they _know_ you… or something.” Not just as celebrity Trainers, but as _people_ , as friends… maybe even as members of their community? 

“I see where you’re getting from, Yurio,” said Yuuri. “The thing is, Victor and I… we visit here pretty often. Mostly to organize activities and assist the residents with their problems and all sorts of stuff. Every few months or so, there’ll be different kinds of events held in this town – in the musical theatre, the Contest Hall, the community club, the dance studio… oh, not to mention, the Pokémon Gym! We invite everyone to come over, and we’ll all have a great time! I guess that’s why we have so many connections here.”

“Wait. A theatre? A Contest Hall? A community club???” Yuri was flabbergasted. Who could have imagined that a small town like this one would be so jam-packed with amenities! 

“I know!” said Yuuri, grinning widely. “It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? And we have Victor to thank for all of this. Without him, the place wouldn’t be what it is right now. He singlehandedly changed the lives of every single one of the residents living here!”

“Oh, come on, Yuuri!” said Victor. “You helped too!” 

“Yeah, but that was much, much later! You were the one who started it all in the first place! You were the one who built this town from the ground up! You see, Yurio, five years ago… well, you know what happened to Florentina Town and Florentina Forest. Besides the people and Pokémon who lost their lives, there were those who lost their homes as well.”

“Because… the whole area became cordoned off?” 

“Right, because the whole area became cordoned off. While they managed to escape the attacks, they had nowhere to go back to, so Victor… he took it upon himself to move them all right here, to Jaune Town. But ‘home’… isn’t just a place. You know what it feels like to lose a friend or a family member… to leave them all behind… to be the only one surviving. To find yourself all alone, thrust into a world where everything you know and love are suddenly no more… you get the idea. It was probably a really, really trying time for all them; the mood back then must be really downcast… so Victor wanted to give them something to look forward to, to bring some light into their lives. The theatre, the community club, those were all his ideas, to bring the survivors closer together, to create a new sense of belonging between them. He even brought along the wild Pokémon from Route 9 to liven things up a little.”

“And it worked,” said Otabek.

“It sure did!” said Yuuri. He gazed up at Victor, his face beaming with pride and admiration. “And not only that, the proceeds from the Victor Nikiforov Museum… most of it is channeled to this very town, to fund all these various projects and events! Our Champion is an incredible guy, isn’t he?” 

“Oh, Yuuri!” laughed Victor, his cheeks flushing pink. “It’s not that big of a deal!”

“To me, it really is, Victor! You know that! And I’m sure the residents of Jaune Town – everyone you helped – will agree with me!” 

_Everyone he helped… he helped them… just like how he helped me…_ Yuri’s thoughts could not help but flash back to a certain conversation a couple of days ago, before being interrupted by – 

“Victor! Yuuri! Welcome back!”

Down the street stood a man around Victor’s age, with short black hair, icy blue lips, and matching blue eyes framed by tons of black eyeshadow. What he was wearing… was probably most elaborate outfit Yuri had ever seen – a dark bluish-purple top, embedded with iridescent, sparkling sequins… a collar completely made up of black and purple feathers, with even more feathers on the sleeves and the hem. _That’s one way to stand out from the crowd._ Though the blonde boy had to admit… it was a pretty cool look.

“Georgi!” greeted Victor. “Great to see you again!”

“Right back at you!” Georgi replied. He turned towards Yuri and Otabek. “And these are…?” 

“Yuri Plisetsky and Otabek Altin! They’re traveling with us at the moment. And Yuri intends to challenge you for his fifth Badge!” 

Realization hit Yuri. “You mean…”

“That’s right!” said Victor with a wink. “Georgi here is the Gym Leader of Jaune Town!”

_Gym Leader!_ Yuri could feel the excitement welling inside him. “What are you guys waiting for then? Let’s head to the Gym – right now!”

“Hold it!” interjected Georgi. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Victor and Yuuri have some _extremely_ urgent matters to attend to this evening! There’ll be loads of preparation work, and it’s going to be a busy rest of the day! Why don’t we have our battle tomorrow instead?”

“Ah, of course! Your event!” It completely slipped Yuri’s mind. “What’s it about, anyway?” 

“It’s a Pokémon Contest Spectacular!” said Yuuri. “Have you heard of it before? I don’t think it has much of a following in Ibara outside of Jaune Town, but in the Hoenn Region, where it originated from, it’s really, really popular! We held it a couple of times here in the Contest Hall, and the residents all seemed to love it, so we’re bringing it back for them today! You guys should come watch it too!” 

“We have a great lineup this time round!” added Victor. “The number one Contest superstar of Hoenn, Lisia! Gym Leaders Wallace and Fantina! Not to mention, our very own Georgi! He might not look like it, but he’s actually pretty good! Together with Yuuri and I as the emcees, it can’t get any better than this! It’s a show you absolutely cannot miss!” 

“Right! About that…” said Georgi nervously. “I… just received a call from Wallace. He said that he isn’t feeling too well today. He can’t make it for the Contest.” 

Yuuri’s jaw dropped. “Then… then… what about Lisia?” 

“She’s sick too! Their whole family caught the flu bug!” 

“And Fantina?”

“Apparently, there was a swarm of last minute challengers at her Gym, and they wouldn’t stop pestering her! She… she had to cancel her trip as well.”

“No way!” groaned Yuuri, burying his head in his hands. “This is a disaster! What’s going to happen to the Contest now? We’re three participants short!! Unless… unless…”

Victor’s face lit up. “Unless the both of us…”

“But then who’s going to emcee the whole thing?” 

“Oh, I can be the emcee!” Georgi piped up.

“That still doesn’t solve anything!” cried Yuuri, his face scrunched up in frustration. “We’ll still be two short! Unless –”

Everyone turned towards Yuri and Otabek. 

“H-hold it,” stammered Yuri. “Me??? Are you guys _crazy_? I know literally nothing about Pokémon Contests!” 

“Neither do I,” said Otabek, a bewildered look on his face. 

“It’s fine!” exclaimed Victor, clapping his hands together. “It’s totally fine! It’ll be our first time participating in one too! We can all be Contest noobs together!” 

“Then it’s decided!” said Georgi, sighing in relief. “The four of you will be our new superstar lineup! Just imagine the headlines – Victor and Yuuri’s Contest Spectacular debut! Everyone’s going to be so looking forward to it! But first things first – we should decide on a category!” 

“A category?” 

“There are five categories in a Contest Spectacular – five categories a Pokémon can be judged on,” explained Georgi. “Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness, or Toughness! Which one would you guys like to try out?”

“Toughness!” came Yuri’s immediate response. 

“Cleverness,” said Otabek, almost at the same time. 

“Beauty, of course!” said Victor. 

“Cuteness…?” said Yuuri.

“I guess Coolness it is!” Georgi declared. “So let’s head to the Contest Hall and get preparations underway! We have exactly ten hours left before the big show!”

\---

 

According to Georgi, a Pokémon Contest Spectacular was an event where Trainers and their Pokémon show off their charms and appeal on a stage to a huge audience. There were two parts to every Contest – the Introduction Round, and the Talent Round. At the end of it all, the Trainer with the highest combined score for both rounds would be crowned the winner.

Of course, Yuri had his sights on nothing less than first place. With Victor, Yuuri and Otabek being greenhorns as well, this was one of the best chances he was going to get to finally beat them at something, and he was not going to let it slip away. “Tell me, Georgi! What am I supposed to do to ace both rounds?”

“Well, first, you have to choose the Pokémon you want to enter in the Contest.”

“I’ve already decided!” said Yuri. He tossed a Poké Ball and Luxio appeared, shaking off the excess charges in its mane. “I’m entering Luxio! It looks pretty damn cool to me!”

“Good! The next step is for you to make your _audience_ think the same way! They’re the ones who’ll be judging your Pokémon in the Introduction Round – where they’ll meet Luxio on stage for the very first time! But here’s the thing – to the most experienced of Contest-goers, to those who have caught every single Contest broadcast on TV, to those who have seen the best of the best and the worst of the worst… what might seem ‘pretty damn cool’ to you might be pretty damn ordinary to them. Which means – your Pokémon needs to be cooler! _Undeniably_ cool! The coolest of them all! Only then can you break through the competition and secure their votes! And to do that, you’ll need Pokéblocks!”

“Pokéblocks?” Yuri remembered hearing about them in a commercial once. Pokéblocks were candy for Pokémon that came in all sorts of different colors. “Great. Where do I buy them?”

“You don’t buy them, you make them! You blend some Berries in a Berry Blender, and there you have them! Pokéblocks! You do have Berries with you, right?” 

“A lifetime supply!” bragged Yuri. He had the Katsuki family to thank for that. 

Georgi looked impressed. “As expected of a Trainer with four Badges!”

“Soon to be five,” Yuri corrected. 

“Ha! We’ll see about that! Anyway, the color of the Pokéblocks you feed to your Pokémon matters a lot. To raise Coolness, you need to feed Luxio _red_ Pokéblocks. There are a few Berry Blenders here in the Contest Hall, so why don’t you give them a spin?” 

Yuri opened the lid of the Berry Blender, dumped four random Berries from his bag into it – a Pomeg Berry, a Kelpsy Berry, a Qualot Berry, and a Nomel Berry – and pressed the button. The Berry Blender whirred to life, mixing the Berries all together in a multicolored swirl. When it finally stopped, all that was left of the mixture were four square blocks – Rainbow Pokéblocks! 

“Nice, there’s some red in them!” Georgi remarked. 

“Alright, Luxio… catch!” Yuri tossed his newly made Pokéblocks to his partner, who gobbled them down instantly. “So... do you feel cooler now?” 

Luxio cocked his head to the side and frowned at Yuri.

“Yeah… I don’t see a difference either. I guess you need to eat more red Pokéblocks, huh?”

“ _Luuuu_!” The Spark Pokémon was instantly energized at the mention of food.

“The key is to use at least one red Berry,” said Georgi. “Also, I think I’ll give you this Red Scarf as well! This will give Luxio a sharper look for sure! Remember, for the Introduction Round, it’s all about giving your best first impression! Only then will the audience look forward to your Pokémon’s performance in the Talent Round – where moves come into play!”

“Moves?” said Yuri. “You mean… like a battle?”

“Not quite,” said Georgi. “Rather than pitting Pokémon against Pokémon, the main goal of Contests is to excite your audience! Dazzle them with everything you’ve got! Think of it not as an all-out fight, but a _performance_. Here, let me demonstrate. Go, Alakazam!”

From Georgi’s Ultra Ball, out popped a lanky yellow Pokémon holding a spoon in each hand, with spikes for ears and a huge moustache. “Alakazam! Psycho Cut!” the Gym Leader commanded.

Alakazam started concentrating, it spoons glowing purple with Psychic energy. Suddenly, without warning, it sprung into the air and spun a somersault; as it descended, the energy took the form of sharp, glistening, crescent-shaped blades, which it used to slice and dice the air in front of it, one blade after another.

“Thank you, Alakazam!” said Georgi, recalling his Pokémon back to its Ultra Ball. “Psycho Blade is a Physical move, and Alakazam’s Attack stat is plain awful. In battle, it’s not going to do much, if anything at all. You’ll fare much better with a Special Psychic or a Psyshock. As a Trainer with four Badges, I’m sure you know that by now.” 

Yuri nodded. “Of course I do!” 

“But you have to admit, the Psycho Cut just now looks really awesome, doesn’t it? Even though it’s completely useless in a fight, the audience is going to love it in a Coolness Contest! Because it’s, well, cool! Flashy! That sort stuff, you know what I’m saying? And that, to me, is what draws me to Contest Spectaculars! Pokémon giving new life to moves it would otherwise never use! Pokémon showcasing a whole new different side of themselves! And Trainers discovering this hidden potential, and understanding their Pokémon better as a result… it’s such a joy to see!”

With the Mecha Tutor 3000 and every TM in the world, there was no reason why Yuri couldn’t give Luxio a brand new moveset – a moveset specially tailored for this Contest, a moveset that screamed ‘Coolness’ in every way! “Of course, there’s more to the Talent Round than just using cool move after cool move,” said Georgi. “Appeal combos, Spectacular Talents… if you have a Pokédex, now is a good time to check it! It’ll give you the information you need about the Contest side of moves. Well, looks like my job here is done. See you tonight!”

“Where are you going?” 

“To check up on your friends, of course! They too, need to hear what I told you just now! I’m not about to let any of you have a bad showing today!”

“WHAAAT???” shrieked the blonde boy. And he thought that _he_ alone had special treatment for once! “That’s not fair! No, wait, that’s way too fair!!!” Still… not that it mattered in the long run. Yuri was going to win either way. He was ready for the challenge, come what may!

\---

 

Half an hour to the Contest Specatcular.

Luxio was prepared. It had all its conditions completely maxed out, thanks to the Pokéblocks it had been eating (for it could not get enough of red ones). It had all the coolest moves it could learn, a solid Contest game plan, a clear path to victory. It could not get any more prepared than this. 

As for its Trainer, though... it was the complete opposite.

There was an unwritten rule that participants of Contest Spectaculars needed to doll up for the occasion. Which was why every Contest Hall had a backstage dressing room, complete with a wardrobe that had outfits for every category. A nice hat or a fancy suit would make a world of difference to the overall festivities and atmosphere. It would have been a simple task for Yuri... but there were just too many clothes, and it was just too hard to choose!

At long last, after careful consideration, Yuri decided on his final outfit – a black ripped tank top, tight black leather pants, black combat boots and black shades. He also had on eyeshadow of the blackest black to accentuate his gaze, giving him a fiercer and bolder look. After all, as Luxio’s Trainer, it was only right that he matched its Coolness on stage! 

“Yuri! Are you done? Everyone’s waiting for you!” 

It was Otabek, dressed in a classic suit and waistcoat combination. The waistcoat was slate blue, and the suit was white with matching blue embellishments; who would have guessed that his rival was capable of such a smart look! A ruffled cravat completed the look, giving the guy a princely vibe. “Huh, you look... different." commented Yuri. "Way better than your usual look, at least.”

“That’s the whole point,” said Otabek bluntly. “I would say the same for you, but... how’s that different from what you normally wear?” 

“Are you blind?” gawked Yuri. “Of course it’s different! Firstly, I’m wearing boots instead of sneakers! And secondly –”

Otabek rummaged through the wardrobe and pulled out a sparkly magenta blazer with gold trim, together with a gold chain. “Take them. These should add a little color to your life.” 

Yuri donned on the blazer and the chain, perched the shades atop his head, and finally, his look was complete! “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but your taste is not half bad, Otabek!” 

“You’re welcome. Now let’s not delay them any longer!”

They headed out to the grand stage, where the curtains were still closed, where Victor and Yuuri were already in their positions. It turned out that the both of them were wearing matching outfits – black button down shirts and black pants – except that Victor’s outer blazer was reddish pink with gold fastenings, while Yuuri’s was navy blue with silver fastenings. And speaking of Yuuri... Yuri thought that Otabek looked ‘different’ enough, but the Elite Four member looked like a whole new person altogether. With his glasses removed and his hair gelled back, every inch of him exuded sheer, unbridled allure, charisma in its purest form... was what Victor would probably say, and Yuri had to grudgingly agree. Georgi was right. This Contest Spectacular really did bring out sides of his friends he never knew existed!

“There you are, Yurio, Otabek!” said Victor, looking dashing as ever in his new outfit. “I hope you guys are ready to go!”

“I still can’t believe this is happening!” said Yuuri, chuckling nervously. 

Yuri shot him a smirk. “And I still can’t believe that you guys must have visited Hoenn like what, a million times, but you’ve never tried your hands at Contests? If I win tonight... you have only yourselves to blame!”

“Hey, we _did_ watch a couple of them on TV!” said Yuuri. “Don’t count us out just yet! For some reason though... I never really got into them. Still, who knows, tonight might be the night I change my mind!”

“Ah, if only _I_ was the one behind your TV screen, out there on stage with my Pokémon!” teased Victor, flicking his bangs. “That’s one way to get you to love Contests!”

“Oh, I doubt so,” laughed Yuuri. “You’ll probably have the opposite effect.”

“ _Yuuuuuuri_!” whined Victor. “Don’t be like that! Think about my pride!”

“Sorry, Victor!” said Yuuri, winking back at him. “I totally forgot you had it!”

The look on the Champion’s face was priceless. Slowly, his lips curled into a wide grin. “I can already see it, guys – this Contest Spectacular is going to be a blast! I can’t wait for it to begin!” 

The curtains were rising. The cheers of the audience were growing louder by the second. Gripping Luxio’s Poké Ball, Yuri took a deep breath. 

The moment the spotlights hit... _showtime!!!_


	29. Showtime!!! (Part II)

“Rediscover the charm of Pokémon! Welcome to Jaune Town’s third annual Pokémon Contest Spectacular! The name’s Georgi, and I’m your host for tonight! Without further ado... let the show begin!” 

On center stage, basked in the bright spotlight, the four contestants stood ready – ready to showcase their all! The cheers of the audience were deafening; their fluorescent red glow sticks creating a sea of scarlet stars. How many of them were there, anyway? A thousand? _Ten_ thousand? Yuri could not tell. All he knew was that they were hyped up to the maximum, that they had been anticipating this event for so long – that they expected nothing less than a performance worthy of going down in the history books!

“Our category this time round is ‘Coolness’!” announced Georgi, prancing across the stage like a Beautifly. “Blood-pumping awesomeness! Unparalleled style! That’s what tonight’s theme is all about! Who do you think is going to pull ahead and take home this special edition Jaune Town Coolness Ribbon? Let’s find out! Introducing entry number one! Yuri and Luxio!” 

“Go, Luxio! Let’s show them what we’ve got!” Stepping forward, the blonde boy threw his Poké Ball – and in a ray of dazzling light, Luxio appeared, sparks radiating from its body as it landed softly onto the stage. _How’s that for a spectacular entrance?_ It was something they had specially practiced for this Contest – after all, if his suspicions were right and _everyone_ had both the Red Scarf and maxed out conditions no thanks to Georgi... he figured that he needed some other way to stand out from his competition. Thankfully, if the loud cheers were any indication, the audience seemed to love it! If this sort of enthusiasm translated into votes, the Introduction Round would be a breeze! 

“Entry number two! Otabek and Venusaur!” 

The Seed Pokémon burst out of its Poké Ball in a flurry of pink petals, letting out a bellow that reverberated around the Contest Hall. Again, the audience erupted into cheers and applause – _though not as much as they did for Luxio,_ Yuri realized with glee. _Of course..._ _there’s no way in hell Luxio would ever lose out to that asshole in terms of Coolness!_ But the Introduction Round was far from over. Two more contestants to go... the two whose popularities way surpassed his... the two who supposedly had a better grip on Contests than him, even if it were only through watching more TV. How would Yuuri and Victor fare tonight? 

“Entry number three! Yuuri and Absol!” 

Glossy, shimmering white fur... a scythe-shaped horn on its head... a razor-sharp blade for a tail... There was a dangerous charm to Yuuri’s Pokémon, and the whole Contest Hall could not help but be completely bewitched. Absol, to no one’s surprise, was an instant hit with the audience; they called it the ‘Disaster Pokémon’ but there was nothing at all disastrous about its introduction! The decibels were through the roof right now; the whole Hall was yelling at the top of their lungs, waving their glow sticks wildly in the air... and Yuri’s blood was starting to boil with frustration. 

“Entry number four! Victor and Togekiss!”

“Alright, looks like we’re up!” said Victor, winking playfully at the audience below. Twirling on the spot, he tossed his Ultra Ball high into the air – and Togekiss emerged, sparkling glitter trailing behind it as it spread its wings and soared up high above the crowd. The Champion then snapped his fingers and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, electric fireworks appeared in the air around Togekiss, bursting apart in a shower of blue sparks! The entire Contest Hall was speechless, completely enthralled by the display! And then... 

“ _WOOOOAAAH!!! VICTOOOOOORRR!!! TOGEKIIIIIIISSSSSSS!!!_ ”

The way those people were cheering... the way those people were _shrieking_... it was truly, completely, absolutely _nuts_. The combination of Victor, his Togekiss, and their introduction was just too overwhelming for them to handle, it seemed. Even Yuri... he hated so much to admit it, but... he was utterly floored. Why did he not see it coming a million miles away? Victor, the crowd-pleaser, the king of showboating... in what universe would he _not_ put together something like that for his entire town of adoring fans? And that was not all! There was also the fact that Victor took his idea... and executed it a thousand times better. To say he was _salty_ was way too much of an understatement. 

“And... that wraps up the Introduction Round!” said Georgi. “Which Pokémon caught your attention? Which Pokémon do you think is the coolest of them all so far? Let your votes decide! In the meantime, let’s run through the rules of the Talent Round real quick! In this second half of the Contest Spectacular, each of the four Pokémon has five chances to show off its appeal, in the form of their moves! And of course, each move will be scored on how cool it is! Not only that, there will be bonus points for how much excitement it brings us... how much it pumps us up... how much it leaves us wanting for more! And if it manages to bring the excitement in this Hall to a climax... well, that’s when the contestant and his Pokémon get the opportunity to perform a very special Spectacular Talent – a highlight of every Contest! So don’t be afraid to cheer with all your heart for your favorites!”

_And that’s where I’ll be making my comeback,_ thought Yuri, glaring determinedly at the other three to his right. _This Contest is far from over! You haven’t won yet, you assholes! Don’t get cocky!_

“Yurio... are you okay?” asked Victor, meeting his gaze. “You look really on edge.”

“What??? No way! If there’s anyone who should be on edge, it’s you!!! Because I’m going to crush you! All of you!”

The Champion looked taken aback for a moment, before breaking into a warm smile. “I don’t doubt your ability to!” he chuckled. “Not in a Pokémon Contest, at least. But hey... relax! Instead of putting all our focus on winning and losing –”

“Coming from the guy who’s all snug and comfy in first place?” retorted Yuri. “You’re not the one who’s... _losing_ these events all the time!”

“Well... that’s true,” said Victor. “The Battle Royale, that one Florentina Festival five years ago, even all the mock battles we had... man, your record against us isn’t all that great, huh?”

“Don’t remind me about it, damn it!” 

The Champion’s gaze turned serious. “I can see why you want this victory so much. I know how much winning means to you. I know how much you’re dying to prove to the world how competent you are at Pokémon – Contests _or_ battles. But... at the expense of enjoying the whole process? Sure, you can argue that things are more fun if you win –”

“Exactly!”

“– but is it worth it, if you’re all stressed out like this? Is it worth it, if, in the midst of chasing victory... of _obsessing_ over victory... you begin to dread and despise everything you loved about Pokémon and competition... the things that got you started on your journey in the first place... the things that once brought to you so much thrill and delight? Perhaps, just this once, just for this Contest... try not to think too much about defeating us, alright? Don’t let winning and losing overpower your thoughts and distract you from the moment. In this Contest with the sole purpose of bringing fun... of having fun... that’s what we should truly be focusing on, I feel! I really want all of us to have a great time together!” 

“But –”

“I’ll book you a Grand Suite at the hotel if you do!” winked Victor.

_A Grand Suite??? Are you kidding me?_ If he was willing to go that far to convince him... did Yuri even have a choice? “Fine! I’ll do it! I’m going to have so much fun that you’ll regret asking me to do so in the first place!”

Victor clapped his hands together excitedly. “Great! I await your performance in the Talent Round! Just go out there, do your very best, and immerse yourself in this amazing atmosphere! Enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience to the fullest, and I’m sure that the audience will be infected by your enthusiasm as well!”

“Victor!” chided Yuuri, shaking his head exasperatedly. “You’re not supposed to bribe him! It’s just... so wrong on so many levels!”

“Hey, whatever works, right? Anyway... oh, look, it’s the results of the Introduction Round!”

“D-don’t change the subject!”

From behind the curtains, a Spoink bounced onto the stage, holding a red envelope in its tiny hands. “The votes are in!” said Georgi. He took the envelope from Spoink and tore it open, revealing a thin strip of paper.

“In first place – Victor and Togekiss! Second, Yuuri and Absol! Third, Yuuri and Luxio! Fourth, Otabek and Venusaur! The contestants will perform in the Talent Round in this exact order!”

Third place... Yuri expected it all along... but it couldn’t be that bad, right? If the votes were close... if all went well for him in the Talent Round... if he played his cards perfectly... he could stand a pretty good chance of overtaking the two in front of him and coming out ahead. And if he did not... if he fell short... he gritted his teeth. _Well, if that happens, I’m still going to have fun, aren’t I? So much fun that_ _you’ll regret it, Victor Nikiforov! Just you watch me!_

“Ladies and gentlemen! Are you ready? Let the appeals commence!” declared Georgi. “Talent Round... start!”

\---

 

“Togekiss! Aerial Ace!”

It was the Appeal Number One of the Talent Round, and all four contestants and their four Pokémon were raring to go! Upon Victor’s command, the Jubilee Pokémon became surrounded by white streaks of energy. With the blazing speed of a bullet, it took off into the air, spinning round and round as it rose higher and higher, like a drill piercing the heavens... or something like that. The whole Contest Hall went wild with applause.

“And what a fantastic opening from our Champion!” screamed Georgi into his microphone – the only way he could be heard over by the audience right now. “What a fine move to kick things into overdrive! Six points for Coolness, plus one extra point for such an enthusiastic audience! What will be your play, Yuuri and Absol?” 

“Dark Pulse!”

Its eyes flashing bright red and its body enveloped in a black aura, Absol leapt up high – and with a swish of the blade on its head, dark purple orbs rained down onto the stage, fizzing out in wisps of smoke as they landed. More cheers from the audience.

“A highly appealing move indeed!” commented Georgi. “I wouldn’t expect any less from these two! It’s a four plus one! Now, how will Yuri and Luxio follow up?”

“Luxio... Charge!”

Luxio let out a cry and began gathering electricity in its body... its fur becoming more and more lustrous as more and more charges accumulated, its body engulfed by blue and yellow sparks...

... but despite Luxio giving its all, the cheering waned. Bewilderment and uncertainty registered on the faces of the audience.

“Now this is strange!” said Georgi. “Very strange indeed! This move by Luxio... isn’t very cool at all! In fact, it’s not! It’s more of a clever move, if you ask me! One point for effort... but for bringing down the excitement level in the Hall, minus one point! That leaves Yuri and Luxio with... a big, fat zero for this first appeal! Whatever could they be thinking?”

_Oh, you dumb heathens are in for a big surprise,_ thought Yuri, a smirk tugging at his lips. Despite the lukewarm response, Luxio was starting to get really pumped up. The tingling in its paws... the fire in its eyes... looking at his partner like that, Yuri could not help but feel just as eager as well! _Don’t count us out just yet!_ _This is only the beginning! Next Appeal... next Appeal on is when we’ll take over the show!_

“Last but not least, we have Otabek and Venusaur!”

“Outrage!” Venusuar’s body became engulfed in a red aura, as it spewed a barrage of green and purple fireballs from the plant on its back. One by one, the flames cascaded down, mixing into one another, creating what looked like a waterfall of spiraling, colorful flames.

“Amazing!” gushed Georgi. “What incredible pyrotechnics! It deserves a solid six points – plus one point for getting us all excited again! And now that everyone has taken his turn, let’s review the standings for Appeal Number One! Going on strong in first place, Victor and Togekiss! Shooting up to second place, Otabek and Venusaur! Third place, Yuuri and Absol! And fourth place, Yuri and Luxio! Hang in there, Yuris! Because it’s time for Appeal Number Two! Victor and Togekiss, will you do the honors?”

“With pleasure, Georgi! Togekiss, Extreme Speed!”

And immediately, Togekiss disappeared from where it was standing on stage... a fraction of a second later, a huge gust of wind blew across the audience... and Togekiss reappeared back to its usual spot, smiling triumphantly.

“Wow... unbelievable! That speed... that strength... that’s a Champion’s Pokémon, all right! It’s so fast we can’t even see its appeal! How sick is that?! Three plus one points! And as a bonus, Togekiss gets to lead the pack for the third time in Appeal Number Three!”

_Togekiss... gets the first performance?_ Just like how Charge got Luxio all pumped up, it turned out that Extreme Speed had a side effect too – it allowed the user to go first no matter what next turn, regardless of the points and standings of the previous appeal. Together with Aerial Ace, a move that yielded seven whole points when used as an opening... 

“Let’s give it up for Otabek and Venusaur!”

“Venusaur, Roar!”

The Seed Pokémon threw back its head and opened its mouth, and Yuri could have sworn that the stage was trembling beneath his feet – no, not just the stage, the whole Contest Hall was quaking! “We can’t hear that!” said Georgi. But we can _definitely_ feel that! It’s a Roar so strong that it transcended all of our hearing capabilities! If that isn’t the definition of cool, I don’t know what is! Another three plus one! And Venusaur gets the _last_ performance in Appeal Number Three!”

Together with Outrage, a move so flashy that it bagged the user seven points straight out, at the cost of being more easily startled by the performers going after it... if Venusaur performed last, if there was no one behind it... losing any of those seven hard-earned points was out of the question. _Otabek must have come in fourth in the Introduction Round on purpose to set this up,_ Yuri realized. _Both he and Victor had a strategy coming into this Contest... pretty well thought out strategies at that!_ He had to put his thoughts on hold for now, for it was Yuuri’s turn to go. What sort of trick did the Elite Four member have up his sleeve? 

“Absol, Hyper Beam!”

And the Disaster Pokémon closed its eyes and took a deep breath. As it inhaled, an orange ball of energy appeared in front of its mouth, crackling and pulsing, growing larger and larger...

“Fire!!!” commanded Yuuri.

Absol exhaled, and a huge beam of pure power blasted out from the ball, orange at its sides, white-hot at the center. It shot into the air, mere inches above the audience, before dissipating slowly into nothingness. The audience let out a collective, audible gasp. 

And then... 

“ _YUUUUUUUUUURIIIIII!!! ABSOOOOOOOOL!!!_ ”

The shrieks... the cheers... it was Victor’s Introduction Round all over again. And this time, there was no sign of the audience actually stopping! Their throats could die out on them – and they totally would, at this rate – yet no one seemed to give a damn! “Holy moly!!!” yelled Georgi. “What in the world was that??? Look at Togekiss and Venusaur! They’re startled! Shocked and awed by Absol’s appeal! Their cool! Their _Coolness_! Their _points_! It’s gone, all gone! And the audience! They’re going absolutely insane – and who can blame them? So far, it’s been a buildup of cool move after cool move after cool move from these contestants – hell, even _I’m_ going insane! This Hyper Beam, without a doubt, is the epitome of Coolness!!! And you know what this means!”

“This is it, Absol,” said Yuuri, throwing his hand skywards, his face beaming with delight, his eyes blazing like two suns. “Time for a Spectacular Talent! Moonlit Pledge!!!”

Absol’s body became surrounded by pure energy; swirls of purple and red began pulsating around it, draping it with a veil of darkness and mystery. It then let out a spine-tingling howl, as if howling to a crimson blood moon in the blackest of the blackest nights – and almost immediately, purple and red fireballs imbued with black electricity began falling out from the sky like meteors, exploding into a billion tiny stars as they hit the ground.

Yuri was completely transfixed. This sort of Coolness was _undeniable,_ in every sense of the word! To know that a Pokémon could use a move in such a manner... to know that a Pokémon could create something so mesmerizing... and to know that such amazing feats could only be witnessed in a Contest Spectacular – the exact event he was participating in, right this moment... now he was _really_ getting excited! And he was not the only one – Absol’s Spectacular Talent moved the entire audience in the Contest Hall! He did not think that the screaming could get any louder, but it actually did, it totally did. “ _Eleven_ points to Absol for such a commanding performance!” Georgi enthused. “What a feast for the eyes this is!”

It took an eternity and a half for the cacophony to finally die down... but Appeal Number Two had not ended yet. There was one more contestant remaining.

“Luxio! Thunder Fang!” yelled Yuri, as Luxio bore its electricity-laced teeth for the entire Contest Hall to see. _And not just any_ _ordinary lame-ass Thunder Fang! It’s an attack powered up by all the charges Luxio absorbed in our previous appeal! Charge and Thunder Fang... this is the culmination of our strategy! Our Appeal Combo!!!_

“So this was Yuri’s plan all along!” cried Georgi. “Sacrificing his points in Appeal Number One just so he can pull off this amazing Combo in Appeal Number Two... and man did it pay off big time! Four points for Coolness! An extra three points for the successful Combo! Another point for Luxio’s enthusiasm! And a final point for raising the excitement levels in this Hall yet again! Ladies and Gentlemen! Yuri and Luxio have earned a total of nine points! And this concludes Appeal Number Two!” 

So when all was said and done... Yuuri led the pack with a staggering twelve points, Yuri followed closely behind with nine, and both Victor and Otabek had zero points each. It was a pity that Luxio’s Appeal Combo got overshadowed by Absol’s Moonlit Pledge... but somehow, he was totally okay with that... or was he? _Yes_ , he decided, he was. It was fine. There were three more Appeals left. There was still a chance that Luxio could pull off a Spectacular Talent and dazzle everyone in its wake. And even if someone else were to steal that chance, at least Yuri could witness another bout of eye-popping, jaw-dropping awesomeness. A Fairy-type Spectacular Talent from Togekiss or a Grass-type Spectacular Talent from Venusaur would no doubt be equally pleasurable to watch.

Oh god, he was starting to sound like Victor again. Well, that _was_ what Victor wanted and that was what would give him a Grand Suite, so...

Appeal Number Three started off with a predictable yet no less astounding Aerial Ace from Victor and Togekiss, nabbing them seven more points. Next up was Yuuri and Absol... supposedly, but because that Hyper Beam took so much out of Absol, they had to give their turn a miss so that they could recharge – which was a good thing for the other three contestants and their Pokémon, for it gave them the perfect opportunity to play catch-up.

It was Yuri and Luxio’s turn to perform again. “Shock Wave!” It was not the most ideal of moves in this scenario, since Shock Wave, like Aerial Ace, worked best when performed first in line. He wished he could use Thunder Fang one more time for the five-plus-one, but performing it two Appeals in a row would bore the audience to death and cost him precious points, so that was out of the question. And Charge and Thunder Wave yielded too few points for his liking, so... “Four points to Yuri and Luxio!” announced Georgi. “And finally, we have Otabek and Venusaur!”

“Energy Ball!” At once, green pellets of energy began shooting continuously out of the plant on Venusaur’s back, breaking up into glittery sparkles as they collided with one other. Yuri had to do a double take – wasn’t Energy Ball a _Beauty_ move??? The audience did not seem too crazy about it... though, at least, it fared much better than Luxio’s Charge in its first Appeal. And he was so sure too, that Venusaur would bring out the Outrage, just like how Togekiss performed Aerial Ace... but now that he thought about it, it all made sense. In a way, Victor’s and Otabek’s strategies were mirrors of each other’s – secure the desired performance order, unleash a show-stopping move, and profit. Both of them even had the same number of points in the first two Appeals. Which meant that for one to edge out the other, something had to be done to break the equilibrium – in an opening that both the contestants were no doubt looking for. If Venusaur had used Outrage, a cool move... it would have raised the audience’s excitement levels just high enough such that Victor’s _next_ cool move in Appeal Number Four would have taken them to beyond insanity again, just like what had happened with Absol. That would give Togekiss the chance to perform its Spectacular Talent, which was exactly what Victor needed to come out ahead. And that was exactly what Otabek was trying to avoid!

“Not the Coolness we’re looking for, but it’s well-done nonetheless!” commented Georgi. “And with that, Otabek and Venusaur get a solid four points! It’s now time to move on to Appeal Number Four!”

And for the fourth time in a row, Victor was up first. “Togekiss, Flamethrower!” Another Beauty move??? _Of course..._ Victor was in the same situation as Otabek was just now. He didn’t want to get the audience way too excited either; he wanted to deny Otabek and Venusaur their Spectacular Talent as well! The fountain of fire coming out of Togekiss’s mouth was awe-inspiring and pretty impressive overall, netting them four points. But the excitement levels still remained the same as before.           

Then came Otabek, who followed up with a Roar from Venusaur, much to the delight of the entire Hall. “Three points for a job well done, plus one point for upping the excitement in the place – finally! It’s about time someone shows some Coolness around here!” It was a move anyone would have executed in Otabek’s position, and it was not a bad score at all. But compared to what could have been... Otabek must be on the verge of tears right now... probably. Yuri absolutely not could imagine someone like him crying. 

_Wait! This means..._

Thanks to Venusaur, the cheers were growing louder and louder, and the whole Contest Hall was getting more and more hyped up by the second. One more cool move... just one more cool move would be the push needed to bring them over the edge! And that move would be none other than... 

“Thunder Fang!!!”

Luxio opened its mouth wide, revealing fangs as sharp as daggers, fangs riddled with thousands of volts of crackling electricity – fiercer and more blistering than anyone could have ever imagined! The Spark Pokémon then gnashed its jaws at the air and sparks flew everywhere, lighting up the Contest Hall in never-ending flashes of blue and yellow. But that was not the best part! The screams! The applause! The standing ovation! A freaking _standing_ _ovation_! “ _YUUUUUUUUURIIIIII!!! LUXIIIIOOOO!!!_ ” 

_And they aren’t stopping,_ Yuri realized. _They’re still going on strong!_ Every single one of them – even Victor, even Yuuri, even Otabek... _cheering! For Luxio and me! And we’re not even close to being done yet with our Appeal!_ “This is it, Luxio!” cried Yuri, his heart swelling with pride and joy. “Time for a Spectacular Talent! Striking Chronicles!!!”

Gathering every last charge, every last spark in its fur, Luxio let out another roar and shot a large bolt of electricity upwards into the air – the largest bolt it had ever created! Up and up it went... and at the peak of its trajectory, the bolt split into hundreds of smaller bolts in all the colors of the visible spectrum, all of which descended from above in all directions, fizzling out into shimmers before they could hit anything. 

...If there was anyone from the audience who wasn’t standing and screaming like a maniac after the Thunder Fang, they certainly were right now! Yuri’s ears were buzzing with nothing but noise; his eardrums felt like they were going to implode any time soon – but did he give a damn? Not a single bit! This attention – total attention – was everything he ever dreamed of. “Incredible!!!” gasped Georgi. “Words cannot describe how amazing that was! That might just be the best performance I’ve seen all night! It surpassed  _all_ my expectations!!! For that, Yuri and Luxio get _twelve_ points!”

_Twelve!_   _Twelve!!!!_ That was the highest number of points given out to a contestant in this Contest! Following his Appeal, Yuuri and Absol showed off a Magic Coat... something about it being another Beauty move... something about six points... but Yuri could not concentrate on anything else right now. His mind was filled with nothing but Luxio’s breathtaking awesomeness, of that Spectacular Talent he knew he would never, ever forget, not even in a million years.

\---

 

“Appeal Number Five! It’s the last move! Which move will our contestants choose?”

_So, it all comes down to this, huh?_ Yuri could not believe it himself either, but he did not want this night to come to an end. He wanted more of this. This passion, this excitement... the rambunctious crowd, the spotlight... the strategy, the crazy moves, the competition... be it an open tournament, a Battle Royal, a Contest Spectacular or something else altogether, he had to do it again! But for now...

For once in this entire Talent Round, he and Luxio had the first move. “Shock Wave!” Luxio began surrounding itself with a ball of bright blue electricity, a ball growing rapidly in size – at its cry, the ball split open, tingeing the air around it with sporadic blue sparks. And... it was over. _We did our best, didn’t we, Luxio?_ He had no regrets. 

“We might be at the beginning of the end,” said Georgi, “but this move still works great nonetheless! Eight points for Yuri and Luxio!”

The rest of the Contest zipped by in a blur. Absol launched another Hyper Beam, and it was Luxio’s turn to get a taste of being startled. The Spark Pokémon was so shocked that its legs gave way, causing it to lose its balance and fall flat on the ground! That slip-up cost it half its points... but it was not like Yuri could do anything about it. Absol’s appeal earned it five points, putting it one point ahead of Luxio. Then came Togekiss with Brick Break, which involved Victor throwing an actual brick into the air and Togekiss slicing it neatly into half, yielding them a four-plus-one. Finally, Venusaur and Otabek appealed with yet another crowd-pleasing Outrage, an easy seven points in the bag. 

And now... and now it was _truly_ over. “We’ve come to the end of the Talent Round!” announced Georgi. “And what a Talent Round, huh? What a Contest Spectacular this has been! And all four contestants did a fantastic job! Thank you for a most wonderful display of quality appeals! However, as much as you all deserve the crown, there can only be one winner! Who will it be? Drum roll, please!” 

Yuri watched with bated breath as images of the four Pokémon began flashing on the huge display screens in front of him and behind him. One by one, in the exact order... Venusuar... Togekiss... ... ... Luxio... and Absol. 

“Congratulations! Yuuri and Absol, you’re the winners of Jaune Town’s third annual Pokémon Contest Spectacular! In commemoration of your victory, we present you this special edition Jaune Town Coolness Ribbon!!!”

Watching the Elite Four member pin the Ribbon onto his beloved partner... watching how overjoyed they looked... watching how much love they were getting from the audience... strangely, for the first time in his life, Yuri did not feel... mad. No, not one trace of anger, not one trace of indignation at all. If anything, he felt... content? Relieved? Happy, even? _Like, what the actual hell???_ Perhaps he had lost so many times to those two that his brain had short-circuited and forgotten how to react in the usual way. Perhaps the post-Contest fatigue had melted all his neurons into cheese, and it would all hit him like a truck tomorrow morning, when he woke up. 

But for now...

Yuri looked up and saw Yuuri walking towards him, Absol by his side. “Yurio!” said the Elite Four member, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey... great job! What a close fight, huh? I was really overwhelmed by Luxio’s moves throughout the Contest!” 

“Are you kidding me?” scoffed the blonde boy, folding his arms. “Absol’s the one whose moves are overwhelming! You guys won, after all! If anyone’s done a great job, it’s you!” He looked up, looked directly into Yuuri’s wavering brown eyes... and could not help but let out a chuckle. Despite the glamorous makeover... despite everything that had happened to him... this man still hadn’t changed one bit on the inside. “Eh... congrats on the win, by the way. Your Absol looks good with that Ribbon. Red suits it pretty well.” 

Yuuri’s eyes were sparkling. “Yurio... thank you so much!” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “That... really means a lot to me!” 

And the next thing he knew, Victor came up from behind the both of them, squeezing them into a tight hug. Tears were brimming in his eyes. “Yuuri! Yurio!” he squealed. “I’m so, so, so proud of the both of you! Especially you, Yurio! So very proud!”

“Hey!!!” snapped Yuri, shoving him away. “What the... get off me!!! What the hell are you rambling about? And why the hell are you crying, anyway?” And then it hit him, and his lips broke into a gleeful smirk. “Ha! I get it! You’re sad because you lost to _me_ , aren’t you?! Well boo-hoo, get used to it! You know it’s going to happen again when we face off in the Pokémon League!” 

Victor laughed and wiped away his tears. “I thought we agreed that you stopped thinking about defeating us all the time!” 

“Yeah, but only for the duration of this Contest, am I not right? And it’s over now! Although...” The blonde boy sighed, and spoke yet again, this time in a softer voice. “I _did_ have fun... really, I swear! I... should do that more often.” 

“Yurio...!” The Champion started to go in for another hug... but then decided against it at the last moment, much to Yuri’s relief. “Well,” he said, casually flipping his silver hair, “it seems like it’s my turn to fulfill my end of the deal!” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and dangled it in front of Yuri’s face. 

Yuri’s eyes widened. _Could it be...?_

“It’s yours! The card key to your Grand Suite! Oh, by the way, Otabek has one too! The two of you will be sharing suite 1001 of Flowery Hotel...”

...

Yuri spontaneously combusted on the spot.

“ _Share????!!!!_ You didn’t say anything about sharing!!!” 

“That’s right!” said Victor, grinning unabashedly. “I didn’t! It’s a really large suite, you see, and it comes with two gigantic beds, and –”

“What did Otabek even do to deserve this???” 

“I had fun too,” shrugged Otabek, trying his very best to stifle his smirk.

“And that’s more than enough!” said Victor, nodding approvingly. “Oh, come on, Yurio! What's the big deal? You guys have shared a room before!”

_But... not a freaking Grande Suite!_ It was an outrage, it was too cruel, he could hear his dreams shattering into a billion pieces...

“Victor, Yuuri!”

It was none other than Georgi, running up to them from the other side of the stage. “On behalf of everyone in Jaune Town, thank you so much – all four of you! Because of you guys, this Contest Spectacular is a huge success! I’ve never seen everyone this happy!”

“No problem! We’re glad we could help,” said Yuuri, and Yuri... had to agree. Despite his loss, he _did_ enjoy himself tonight, and it was not just something he forced himself to say so that he could get his hands on (half) a Grand Suite. Knowing that his and Luxio’s performance managed to put a smile on the faces of the audience – people and Pokémon who had been through so much... it was not a bad feeling at all.

“So Yuri... about your Gym Battle...”

Of course! How could Yuri forget? “Tomorrow?” he said, the eagerness rushing back to his body once more.

“Sure thing!” said Georgi. “I’m available in the afternoon, so feel free to come on down to the Gym whenever you’re ready!”

_Oh, you bet I am!_ Today had been an eventful day, but tomorrow would be even better, he was sure of it! Because when it came to battling... _this is where we truly shine!_


	30. Bonus – Diamond Dust

( _Four years ago, in the Unova Region…_ )

 

“I think… it’s going to snow today.”

Yuuri Katsuki looked up at the taller, silver-haired man beside him, his russet eyes wide open in wonder, his heart thumping audibly in his chest. Victor’s voice had sounded wistful, almost melancholic… as if remembering a memory long past… as if recalling something lost, something that would never again return. “Just a hunch!” the Champion continued, smiling softly. “It’s the last day of December and we haven’t seen a single snowflake! Surely, something _has to_ go our way for once!”

Yuuri heaved a sigh. _I really hope you’re right, Victor. But I doubt it’s going to happen._ They called Icirrus City a place with a ‘sky glittering with flowers of snow’… but that could not be further than the truth right now. The skies were duller than the dullest gray in existence, the clouds were foreboding and oppressive, and the winds were far too bitter for anyone’s liking. It was like the universe decided to take some of the worst things the end-of-year season could offer, mix them together, and shove it all in their faces.

 _This… isn’t what you’re looking for, is it?_ His thoughts could not help but flash back to a year ago, to a time so different from his current life… to Snowpoint City, a place that snowed all year round, where snow occurred more frequently than sunshine, where winters were especially cold, harsh, and unforgiving. They had been going about their usual training at the outskirts of the city when Victor dropped the bomb. “Looks like there’s going to be another snowstorm in a couple of hours,” the Champion had told him. “We better head back soon.”

“I still don’t know how anyone can live here,” had been his reply. “The hail, the blizzards, avalanche after avalanche after avalanche… it’s so dangerous, not to mention… frightening!”

“That’s true,” Victor had said. “But here’s the thing – it’s not going to be like this the whole year round. When the storm has passed and the skies clear up, it’s going to be a completely different world altogether! An amazing world that the residents of Snowpoint would gladly brave through every blizzard for… a world so breathtakingly gorgeous they’ll never, ever get tired of seeing! Just imagine, Yuuri – the ground, the buildings, the trees... everything covered in a uniform blanket of pure white! Kind of like right now, but with the addition of smoke wafting from the chimneys… the warmth of numerous fireplaces in every house in the city… the chimes of bells filling the air… the aroma of sumptuous suppers fresh from the oven… and of course, snowflakes! Beautiful snowflakes, each one unique from the other, falling softly from the skies like powder…”

“You… sound like you’ve seen it before, Victor.”

“I sure have! Many, many years ago… not in Snowpoint, but back in Arethusa Town, where I used to live! You see, over there, it doesn’t snow as often – or as heavily – as what we’re experiencing right now. So as a child, whenever winter rolled around, I would dash outside the house and sit at my porch for hours, just staring and staring and staring at the view in front of me! The temperature could be in the negatives, but I paid no attention to that; I was so entranced by the sights that I even forgot what coldness felt like! And then Christmas came and –”

“Christmas?”

“Ah, it’s a special holiday on the 25th – one of the main reasons why I loved winter so much! It’s a day filled with joy, celebration and giving – and presents! Loads and loads of presents!”

His face would always be so animated; his eyes would always be shining with exuberance as he recounted his stories from his past… seeing Victor so happy like that had never once failed to make Yuuri’s day. “Tell me more,” he would say, and Victor would more than gladly oblige – and hearing the Champion gush about his experiences with such enthusiasm, in such detail… it was almost as if he had been the ones living out those memories… as if he had actually been by Victor’s side, all through his life. “When I was little, Christmas meant spending the whole of December decorating our entire house with fairy lights and colorful garlands – and most importantly, a Christmas tree! My family and I would go down to the Department Store in Grimmetts City, and we would buy all sorts of ornaments to hang on it – glittery baubles, candy canes, Pokémon figurines… the end result was really quite amazing! But the real fun came on Christmas Eve, because my mother and I would be baking all sorts of delicious Christmas cookies and cakes! At night, we would place them before our fireplace, and Santa would come and –”

“Santa?”

“Santa Clause! He’s the spirit of Christmas himself! A plump, jolly old man in a red hat and a white bead – kind of like a Delibird, personified! The day before Christmas, when the clock strikes twelve, Santa would set off on his magical sleigh, pulled by a dozen Sawsbuck… He would travel to every house in the world, secretly delivering his gifts to all the sleeping kids! And it has to be in secret, for any kid who even catches a glimpse of Santa’s real face will never receive a Christmas present, ever again! Of course, there was no way I was letting that happen to me, so I slept like a Komala through the night… and on Christmas morning, what I found at the edge of my bed was everything I ever wanted, all wrapped up in wrapping paper and ready to be opened! One year, I got an enormous Wailmer plushie. And the next year, I got a coloring book and huge a box of crayons! My mother said it was the Christmas cookies that made Santa love me so much, but I think it’s because I’d always been a pretty well-behaved kid – hey, it’s true, Yuuri! Stop laughing at me like that! Anyway, whichever the case, Christmas was always such a glorious time for me! And then I turned ten, and I started my Pokémon journey, and that was the end of that! I guess Santa didn’t know where to find me anymore. Ah, those were simpler times! I bet you had tons of fun celebrating Christmas when you were younger too, Yuuri!”

“Yeah… if only I can remember them!”

“That’s alright! We can still celebrate Christmas from here on out as well… just the two of us, and our Pokémon! We could get a cake and champagne, exchange gifts, and play Christmas songs over the radio; and no matter where we are, no matter rain or shine or snow, it’ll feel as though Santa’s here with us!”

That had been the plan, initially. Unfortunately, this year… Christmas for them had been less than stellar. Seventy-two sleepless hours on a burning cruise in the torrential seas of tropical Hoenn… non-stop rescues and multiple attempts to contain the blaze… panic and anguish and high tensions all abound… it was not surprising that the 25th came and gone without them even realizing it. Sure, the mission had been a huge success and all the passengers had gotten out safely in the end... but Yuuri could not help but feel a stab of unease. For someone like Victor who deserved the world… for him to go from a merry Christmas filled with presents to settling for cake and champagne to absolutely nothing... it was _wrong_ , just too wrong. _If only I could do something_. _If only I can recreate your ideal white Christmas!_ Sure, Christmas might be over, but… _just once, when there’s still time left in December… no matter how impossible it is right now, please, let it snow for us! Let it snow for Victor!_

“Yuuri! Earth to Yuuri!”

The sound of Victor’s gentle voice jolted him back to reality. “What are you thinking about, Yuuri? You seem deep in thought.”

“R-really? You must be mistaken!” The last thing he wanted was for Victor to find out how worried he was over a trivial thing like the weather – and worry about him in turn. He decided to change the subject. “Anyway… we have a mission here, don’t we?”

“That’s right!” said Victor. He flipped open his PokéNav Plus. “According to the email, two Pokémon of a certain household in Icirrus City went missing. Apparently, they’ve been gone for almost a week already! There was a citywide search, but no one could find them. And then, understandably, everyone sort of gave up looking.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened in horror. “A week!? Even for Pokémon, that’s… that’s bad news, isn’t it?”

“Definitely. Depending on how well they can survive in the wild, without their Trainer –”

“Umm... let’s not think about it, okay?” said Yuuri, forcing himself to shut down his overactive imagination before it spiraled out of control. “We should find out more about the situation first!”

“Agreed!”

The house in question was a cozy little hut by a windmill at the edge of the town. Victor knocked on the door and a young girl answered it, her cherry blonde hair tied in two pigtails, her dress green like the leaves of mistletoe. “Hello!” said Victor. “We heard that you have missing Pokémon?”

The girl’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Our two precious Deerling, Dearie and Darling! Did you find them? Did you? Did you???”

“Nope,” replied Victor, “but we think we can help! Where did you last see them? Do you know where they might have run off? What are their Natures? Oh, and what do they look like? Do have a picture of them, so that we know what we’re looking out for?”

“Jeez, Victor, one question at a time!” winced Yuuri. “You’re confusing her!”

The girl seemed unfazed, however. She took a huge breath, and the next thing they knew, words were rattling out of her mouth like a machine gun. “The last time we saw them, they were at home! And then poof! There’re gone! They’ve never left the house in their lives, so we don’t know where they might have gone! Dearie has a Hasty Nature, and Darling has a Naïve Nature! And yes, we do have a photo for you!” The girl dug into her pocket and pulled out an old, faded photograph. It depicted two Deerling, doe-eyed and brown-furred, tumbling merrily around in the grass.

“They look just like any ordinary Winter Form Deerling to me,” remarked Yuuri, examining the photograph. “No distinguishing features, no unusual patterns, no accessories…”

“Do you think... they're gone forever?” piped up the girl, her voice on the verge of quivering. “Uncle Kenny from next door told me that they had long returned to the wild... but I don’t want them to! I want them right here! Back with me!”

Victor knelt down and placed a comforting hand on her head. “Don’t worry! We’re not going to let anything happen to Dearie and Darling. Leave it to us, alright? We’re going to bring them home for you, safe and sound!”

“Really? P-promise?”

“Promise!”

“Awesome!” the girl squealed, jumping up and down. “I’m going to tell my dad!”

“You do that!” chuckled Victor. “We’ll be back before you know it!”

“You better!” said the girl. “Because without Dearie and Darling… there won’t be a Santa Clause next year!” And with that, she ran back into the house, slamming the door behind her.

The Elite Four and the Champion could only stare in bewilderment at the closed door.

“What… what did she mean by that?” asked Yuuri.

“Without the Deerling… there won’t be a Santa next year,” said Victor, repeating back the girl’s words, as if trying to digest them. “Could it be that this very house…”

“… is Santa’s house? It makes sense, for Santa to live in a cold place like this.”

“And the Deerling…”

Realization hit Yuuri. “Deerling evolve into Sawsbuck! And Sawsbuck… they are the ones pulling Santa’s magic sleigh, right? So maybe, just maybe... these Deerling are actually Sawsbuck-in-training!”

“And without them, there’s no way on earth Santa could deliver his presents to the children! We have to find them, Yuuri, not just for Santa, but also for Christmas as well! For all the children who love Christmas!”

…

“Why… why do I feel like we’re living the plot of a bad holiday movie? You know… like the one we watched a couple of weeks ago?”

“But it _isn’t_ a movie!” said Victor, his sapphire blue eyes twinkling like a million stars. He held out a hand. “And it isn’t a dream either! I can’t believe I’m saying this as well, but… we’re actually going to save Christmas – next year’s Christmas, that is! Are you with me, Yuuri?”

Yuuri grabbed his hand without a second’s hesitation. “Definitely!”

\---

 

To the west of Icirrus City lay the Moor of Icirrus, a large, boggy marshland teeming with Water and Ground-type Pokémon – in summer, that was. In the cold December winter however, every swamp, every puddle, small or large or giant-sized, was glazed over by a thick layer of ice, creating a myriad of mirrors that reflected the dark clouds and the gloomy sky above, reminding Yuuri yet again that things would be so much better if it were snowing right now… but there was no time to ponder about that. Finding the Deerling was more important.

Fortunately, they had just the tool to help them – the DexNav on their PokéNav Plus, an application specially commissioned for them by the Pokémon League Association to help with tasks like this one. All they had to do was to enter the name of the Pokémon they wanted to look for, press a button, and the PokéNav Plus would send out a customized signal, luring the Pokémon out from hiding. So… that was what they did. Enter the search term ‘Deerling’, hit the button, and…

…

Nothing. “They don’t seem to be here,” said Victor. “I guess we should look somewhere else.”

“But we’re only at the entrance of the Moor,” Yuuri pointed out. “Maybe the signal couldn’t reach them. If we go deeper, maybe we’ll find something. Although… _how_ we’re going to do it…” With nothing but ice beneath their feet, there was no way they could walk – or even move – without slipping and falling and breaking a bone or several. Worse, the _ice_ itself could break and they could be falling into murky waters of subzero temperatures… sure, that might just be Yuuri’s imagination overreacting again, but it was still a legitimate cause for concern and –

“Well, in situations like this… the idea is always to _not_ resist the ice,” said Victor with a mischievous wink. “Go with the flow! Let it take you wherever it wants to take you!” And with that, he knelt down, placed his hands firmly on the ice in front of him, and pushed off. The next thing Yuuri knew, the Champion was sliding across the frozen lands, sliding deeper and deeper into the Moore at top speed!

“Are we s-seriously doing this? L-like, for real!?” Yet for some reason, Yuuri could not suppress the grin tugging at his lips. Dropping to his knees, he slid out onto the ice into the open, following closely behind his friend. _Oh, Victor…_ _why am I so not surprised that you’ll try to pull off something like that?_ It was crazy, it looked stupid – so, so stupid – but it was working, it totally was, and now they were going to reach the heart of the Moore in no time at all! And the very sensation… it was exhilarating, unbelievably so, and somehow, all his nerves and doubts and misgivings were totally gone, evaporated into thin air. He wasn’t afraid anymore…

… until he realized that they were heading straight into a –

“ROCK!!!” Yuuri squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable crash…

… which never came. Instead of a dull pain in his stomach, Yuuri found himself barreling headlong into heaps and heaps of soft, white fur. It turned out that Victor had released Ninetales in the nick of time, and the Fox Pokémon had positioned itself between them and the rock, cushioning their impact with its massive tails.

“Are you alright, Yuuri?” asked Victor.

“I’m fine!” Yuuri assured him. “All thanks to Ninetales! What about you?”

“I’m fine too! Wow, what a scare that was, huh? I guess my idea didn’t quite work out the way I wanted!”

“Hey, I think it went pretty well… that is, until the rock showed up! Still, look at the distance we covered!”

“I guess you’re right, Yuuri!” said Victor, encouraged by his words. “And the good news is, going through all that made me realize that we have a _better_ solution all along – and it’s none other than Ninetales! As an Ice-type, it doesn’t slip on ice naturally, it has full control over wherever it wants to go, and we can hold on to it as it leads the way!”

“Huh… now that you mention it…”

“I know, right? Why didn’t we think of it sooner?”

“Well… sliding on the ice seems more _fun_ , don’t you think?” giggled Yuuri. And he had Victor to thank for that. Because of Victor, he wasn’t afraid anymore. Then again, with Victor by his side, there was no reason why he should be.

\---

 

Before long, they found themselves in a small clearing, a pond-sized puddle of ice surrounded by lush coniferous trees. “I think this is deep enough,” said Yuuri. “Let’s fire up the DexNav again!”

Victor pressed the button and… still nothing. “So… I guess they aren’t here after all,” he frowned.

“But if that’s the case, where could they have gone?” said Yuuri. “Twist Mountain is too unlikely. Dragonspiral Tower is out of the question. This is the only plausible place left! They’ve got to be here, somewhere! Maybe the DexNav’s broken, or something! That could be why it hasn’t been working for us all this while!”

“I doubt so. Not when the PokéNav Plus is working just fine. Although… it’s not like the DexNav is the only way we know to track down a missing Pokémon.” The Champion reached into his bag and pulled out two extra-large strawberry-flavored deluxe Poké Puffs, decorated with snow-white frosting, pretty pink sprinkles, and a cherry on top.

“Both the Deerling love sweet food. It’s in their Natures! And these two Poké Puffs I have here happen to be sweet to their very core. If Dearie and Darling are truly in the Moor like you said, there’s no way they can resist going for a bite!” Holding a Poké Puff in each hand, Victor raised them towards the sky and shouted, “Dearie! Darling! Come out, come out, wherever you are! We have treats for you! Sweet treats! Delicious treats! You’ll love them!”

“Dearie! Darling!” shouted Yuuri. “Your Trainers miss you! They need you! _The whole world_ needs you! Please! Come out!”

And all of a sudden, there was a rustling of leaves… and from among the branches emerged a huge pair of white antlers, attached to a deer-like Pokémon proud and regal in both appearance and demeanor – a Sawsbuck! Its legs were long and slender, its hooves black like onyx, and its fur walnut brown with tufts of white on its chest and limbs, like frost-covered leaves on a lofty tree. It gave the Poké Puff in Victor’s left hand a hesitant lick… a tiny little nibble… then wolfed it down happily in voracious gulps. A few minutes later, another Sawsbuck appeared, grabbing a huge mouthful of the Poké Puff in Victor’s right hand. And Yuuri immediately made the connection.

“… Dearie? Darling?”

The Season Pokémon cooed at the mention of their names, and Yuuri’s heart swelled with happiness and relief. “We did it, Victor! We found the Deerling!”

“Sawsbuck!” Victor corrected. “No wonder the DexNav couldn’t find them! We were looking for the wrong target all along! In any case, I hope you enjoy your meal, Dearie, Darling! Let’s head back home now, shall we?”

But the Sawsbuck did not move an inch. Their fur was pricked up, their stances on the defensive, and their eyes never once tearing away from the cluster of trees right in front of them, where a low, gurgling noise emanated…

A second later, without warning at all, a wild Seismitoad appeared from the trees – no two, three… five! A horde of Seismitoad! Raising their arms, they conjured up a gigantic wave of turbid swamp water from underneath the ice, sending it straight towards the Yuuri and Victor!

“Muddy Water!” exclaimed Victor. “Looks like my Poké Puffs attracted more than just the Sawsbuck! And now that they’re gone, no doubt about it, these Seismitoad are piping mad! Ninetales, Blizzard!”

The fox Pokémon jumped high above the Seismitoad, and unleashed a huge flurry of hail and wind onto them, freezing the Muddy Water – and the Seismitoad – in an instant. But the Vibration Pokémon still had some juice left in them. One by one, they thawed out, cracking apart the ice casts Ninetales created like they were nothing.

“A bunch of tough ones, aren’t you? One more Blizzard should do the trick! Ninetales –”

But before the Champion could finish his sentence, Dearie and Darling started charging into the fray! Sticking their antlers into the Seismitoad, the Sawsbuck tossed them high into the air and began draining away whatever was left of their health, taking them out once and for all.

“Looks like Dearie and Darling wanted a piece of the action as well!” remarked Yuuri. “And what better way to do that than with Horn Leech! With so many Water and Ground-types in this place, it’s a Grass-type paradise! No wonder they aren’t clambering to get out of the Moor, even after a whole week! No wonder they evolved so quickly!”

“It’s a good thing they did too,” Victor chimed in. “Because this means that they’re all prepped for Christmas next year! I can’t wait to see the look on Santa’s face when we bring them back to him! He’s going to be over the moon!”

“…Victor! You don’t mean –”

“That’s right!” nodded Victor, his face glowing with excitement. “After everything we’ve done for his family, Santa _has to_ come out and greet us! If he doesn’t… well, I’m going to demand that he does!”

“You can’t be serious!” gasped Yuuri, mortified. Sure, a huge, burning part of him wanted to meet Santa in person as well, but… “Isn’t Santa supposed to be a secret? For any kid who even catches a glimpse of Santa’s real face will never receive a Christmas present –”

“… ever again, I know that! But we aren’t kids, are we? And we’re way past the age of receiving presents! Come on Yuuri, come on Ninetales, Dearie and Darling! It’s high time we head back to Icirrus City and _finally_ save Christmas, once and for all!”

\---

 

Night fell in the Unova Region. The temperature was dropping rapidly, the wind was getting chillier and chillier by the second, and the residents of Icirrus City were hastily making their way back indoors, back to the warmth and comfort of their homes.

But when an Elite Four and a Champion came striding back with two Winter Form Sawsbuck in tow, a certain cherry-blonde girl in a green dress came rushing out of her little hut like the cold did not bother her at all, like the only thing she ever wanted was to be in the embrace of her two lost – now found – Pokémon.

“Dearie! Darling! You’re back!” she squealed. “And you’re all evolved, too! That’s so awesome! Thank you so much, misters!”

“Don’t mention it!” said Victor. “We’re always glad to help! In any case… why don’t you call your father out here too? I’m sure he’s also just as excited to see Dearie and Darling again!”

“Oh, right! Of course!” The girl dashed back into her house, hollering at the top of her lungs. “Daaaaaad!!!”

Yuuri and Victor exchanged eager glances. _This is it! The moment of revelation!_

After what seemed like an eternity, the girl returned – wearing a coat this time – holding the hand of a… young-ish man? He could not have been older than thirty-five. His hair was… brown? And he was… on the lanky side? This wasn’t the Santa Victor described! What the hell was going on?

“Dearie! Darling!” cried the man, elation written all over his face.  “I can’t believe it! It’s really you! I thought we’ve lost you forever!” He turned to Yuuri and Victor. “Thank you two, so, so much! We’re indebted to – wait… aren't you Victor and Yuuri from the Ibara League? Oh wow! I-I’m a huge fan! Now I _really_ can’t thank you enough!”

“Are… are you Santa?” Yuuri could not help but blurt out.

“You know I’m Santa!?” the man exclaimed in astonishment. “That could only mean… you’ve seen our play, haven’t you? Holy hell! I… I have no words. I’m so, so honored!”

“P-play…???” Now Yuuri was really confused. “W-what are you talking about???”

“Wait… so you haven’t seen it? I’m talking about _Brycen-Man: Ghost of Christmas Past_! Starring none other than our former Gym Leader, Brycen! It’s our city's annual Christmas production! I play Santa, and my Deerling play Santa’s little assistants! Although next year…” The man ruffled the girl’s hair affectionately. “I think we’re going to have some _giant_ assistants for Santa, aren't we, sweetheart?”

“We sure are!” the girl replied cheerily.

“Thank goodness you guys found them,” the man continued. “Otherwise, the show couldn’t go on anymore. I’m the only Trainer in this city with two Deerling… Sawsbuck willing to act the part! If you’re interested, come watch us next year! The kids absolutely love it! We’ll save you a front row seat!”

“And dad plays a mean Santa!” the girl chimed in. “You should’ve seen him when he's in costume! It’s awesome!”

Victor heaved a sigh. “So I guess… you’re not the real Santa after all, huh?”

The man threw him a perplexed look. “The real Santa? You mean… the Santa Clause that flies on his magic sleigh on Christmas night? Dude, that’s just a children’s tale. Santa's fake. You… do know that, right? Everyone knows that!”

Not Victor, apparently. And certainly not Yuuri, who learnt practically everything he knew from Victor! They bade farewell to the father and daughter and their Sawsbuck, received a gift basket of Rawst Berries, made promises to see their play… Yuuri could hardly register anything. It was only when the door closed in their faces once more that he realized how utterly mind-blown he was.

Still, he reckoned that it wasn’t _too_ bad for him. For Victor, who believed all his life that Santa existed, whose happiest childhood memories revolved around a man who was but a concept… to have that all destroyed… The Elite Four member looked up… and to his surprise, Victor did not seem all that dismayed.

“I’m surprised too,” said Victor. “You’d think I’d have a greater reaction to all of this… but I guess not! I’m okay, Yuuri! Pehaps, all this while, subconsciously… I’ve always known that Santa isn’t real after all. It’s just that somehow, I didn’t want to admit it. I guess… a part of me just wanted to return to the winters I had as a kid… wanted to see _that view_ again…”

Yuuri threw his arms around Victor and hugged him, hugged him as tight as he could, hugged him like no tomorrow. He could not help it.  _Of course, I knew that, Victor! I knew that the moment you told me your story! But what could I do? What could I do?? I couldn’t do anything for you!_

“Yuuri! You’re… crying?” gasped Victor, peeling away from the hug.

“I-I’m sorry Victor! I c-couldn’t –”

A loud, sonorous gong echoed throughout the frigid air, cutting Yuuri’s sentence short, filling his mind with nothing but that clear, resonant sound. Another gong… and then another, and then another, each one just as reverberant as the last, each one just as significant.

“We’ve passed midnight,” Victor murmured. “It’s the new year.”

And then… as if on cue… it began to snow.

The ground, the buildings, the trees... slowly but surely, everything was starting to be covered in a uniform blanket of pure white. Yuuri looked around him and he realized that smoke was wafting from the chimneys… together with the warmth of numerous fireplaces in every house in the city… the ringing of the clock tower bell still filling the air… the aroma of sumptuous suppers fresh from the oven… and of course, snowflakes! Beautiful snowflakes, each one unique from the other, falling softly from the skies like millions and millions of tiny diamonds, glittering, sparkling, dazzling…

Yuuri could not believe his eyes. He could not stop staring. Victor had been right – this breathtakingly gorgeous whole new world… it was everything he ever imagined, and more! “Victor!” he breathed. “Are you seeing this? This… this is what you’re looking for, isn’t it?”

“No,” Victor replied, shaking his head. “It’s even better! This isn’t ordinary snow! It’s Diamond Dust! It’s an extremely rare phenomenon… but isn’t it just majestic? I’m so happy I got to witness it with my own eyes today! But above it all… I’m so happy it’s with you!” And the Champion threw his arms around Yuuri into another tight embrace, and Yuuri’s heart began fluttering like a million Beautifly, and his body began fizzing with immeasurable warmth and bliss and jubilation.

“I don’t care if I never get to see this view again,” whispered Victor. “I don’t care whether my winter days are spent in rain or sunshine or snow. As long as you’re here… as long as you’re by my side, Yuuri… it’s all I could ask for. It’s all I want. So… thank you! Thank you so much for being with me all this while. For giving me the best present anyone could have ever given me! For giving me the best Christmas – and the best new year's I could ever have!”

They pulled back from the embrace a little and Yuuri found himself gazing into those brilliant blue eyes, at the face of the man whom he loved so much… and the tears started falling again, but this time, hewas smiling; he could not stop smiling. “Happy new year, Victor!”

“Happy new year, Yuuri!” said Victor, beaming widely back at him. “Here’s to many more great days to come. Together!”

“Together!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Christmas + New Year's special rolled into one... and it's a week late?! Umm... in any case, happy new year! I hope 2018 treats all of you well! Also, thanks so much for sticking around for 30 chapters! There's still much more to come, so I hope you'll look forward to it!


	31. The Strongest Priority Move There Is

 

There was no better night’s sleep than one spent on the soft satin sheets of a king-sized bed – and a king-sized bed in a hotel’s Grand Suite at that! Yuri Plisetsky woke up feeling reborn and refreshed, like every inch of him was bursting with energy, like every bit of tiredness, every morsel of fatigue in his body had completely melted away. Which was exactly what he had hoped for, for today was the day that he finally challenged the Jaune Town Gym for his fifth Badge, and he needed to bring his very best self if he wanted to win!

He spent his morning doing his usual preparations – checking and double-checking that his items were all in place, swapping back Luxio’s Contest moveset to its battle-orientated one, going through his various strategies again and again in his head… but not before devouring a feast of a room service breakfast with his roommate and rival, Otabek. A fluffy omelet stuffed with mushrooms and honey ham… warm, buttered, toasted croissants with heaps and heaps of Belue Berry jam… and to top it all off, a cold glass of fresh Moomooo Milk – it was the perfect pick-me-up to start off an important day! Before long, afternoon rolled around, and it could not have come any sooner. The two of them met up with Victor and Yuuri at the lobby of the hotel, and they all made a beeline for the Gym, a prominent purple building just a couple of blocks away. As they approached the entrance, the purple double doors slammed wide open, revealing the Gym Leader Georgi, looking glamorous as usual in his signature garb of feathers and black eye shadow. “Welcome!” he chirped. “You guys are right on time!”

Yuri blinked in astonishment. “Did you just… predict our arrival?” Like a true Psychic-type master…

“Of course not!” Georgi laughed. “We had an arrangement from yesterday, didn’t we? Also, there are cameras at our entrance…” 

Now Yuri felt stupid. “Oh, come on! That’s so lame!”

“Hey! Just because I’m a Psychic-type Gym Leader doesn’t mean that I’m a psychic myself! And just because I’m not a psychic doesn’t mean that I can’t be an expert at training and understanding the Psychic-type! In fact, as you’ll find out soon enough… it’s quite the opposite! Come on in! Let’s get this battle under way!”

There were no lights in the Jaune Town Gym, save for a single, intense spotlight shining directly from the ceiling onto the battlefield. And speaking of the battlefield… it was nothing short of a sight to behold! A huge, ancient-looking square platform smack-dab in the middle of the Gym, levitated ten feet into the air, without a single chain or rope in sight to hold it up in place… no doubt, this had to be the work of the numerous Psychic-type Pokémon in the Gym! Alakazam, Espeon, Gothitelle… all of them were sitting unbudgingly, concentrating intensely, their powers completely focused on keeping the battlefield afloat. Yet there was one thing that bugged Yuri –

“… How the hell are we getting up there?”

“Not a problem,” said Victor, tossing an Ultra Ball. “Leave it to me! Gardevoir, Psychic!”

And at once, with an all-too-familiar numbing sensation, Yuri and the others found themselves propelled up and up by an invisible force, right onto the platform. “I was about to suggest the warp panel,” said Georgi, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, but I figured that since this is a Psychic-type Gym, it’s only right that Gardevoir and I join in the fun too, don’t you think so?” said Victor with a wink. “Besides… there’s something else I want to try! Gardevoir, would you please?”

The Embrace Pokémon let out a cry, and with another bout of Psychic, the Yurio cheer squad banner flew out from Victor’s bag and up into the air, floating proudly above the battlefield in all its badly-drawn, slightly-worn glory. “A little idea I got from Yuko and her Espurr back at Hermosa Town,” grinned the Champion. “It looks way better displayed like this, doesn’t it? We’ll be rooting for you as always, Yurio!”

“ _Gaaaaarde_!”

“Good luck,” said Otabek.

“You can win this!” cheered Yuuri.

 _Goes without saying!_ Whatever the Gym Leader had in mind, Yuri would counter it and defeat it. That was the plan; that had always been. He and his Pokémon had trained way too hard, way too long for this! There was no way they were going to lose right here!

“Are you ready?” said Georgi, a confident smirk on his face. “Well then, let the match begin! Go, Reuniclus!”

“Go, Golisopod! First Impression!”

And right off the bat, Golisopod dashed out of its Poké Ball and smashed the green blob of its opponent with its giant claws! Chunks of jelly-like substance splattered everywhere on the battlefield… which quickly gathered back to recreate the bubble around Reuniclus’s main body. “Good damage!” exclaimed Victor. “That had to be at least eighty percent of Reuniclus’s health! Sure, it’s super-effective, but Reuniclus is one of those Pokémon who’s tanky all around, and to leave such a dent in it is a pretty amazing feat in itself! With Golisopod as his ace, Yurio is definitely having the upper hand in this battle!”

“Don’t back down, Reuniclus!” yelled Georgi. “Eat up your Leftovers! We need you to regain as much health as you can! And then… Trick Room!”

Reuniclus raised its jelly arms and let out a low, humming cry, conjuring up five large, purple, glass-like panels in the air above it. A swish of its arms and the panels flew to their positions – one on each side of the stone platform and the final one right on top, enclosing the entire battlefield and everyone on it in a box… a ‘room’ of some sort. But Yuri knew it was no ordinary room. It was a room imbued with such bizarre psychic powers that dimensions were twisted, that every rule in the universe was twice defied – a room that allowed slower Pokémon to move before faster Pokémon for five whole turns! “You have no idea how many Trainers these days prioritize Speed at the cost of bulk,” said Georgi. “After all, it sounds pretty good on paper, doesn’t it – defeating the opponent with a single swift strike before they could even move… what better strategy is there than this? What better strategy is there than death? But of course, all of this is rendered _useless_ when Trick Room comes into play! A ‘glass cannon’ with its speed crippled… a ‘glass cannon’ who has no chance at all to launch an attack… why, it’s nothing but ‘glass’, isn’t it? So, if you think you can waltz into this Gym and sweep the floor with us slower folks… well, I would advise you to think again!”

“But my Golisopod is no glass cannon!” said Yuri. “A 90 in Special Defense! A 140 in Defense! You can’t take it down that easily! Trick Room or whatever crap you pull, it doesn’t change the fact that Reuniclus is just one hit away from total annihilation! Golisopod –”

“Oh no, you don’t! Reuniclus, Thunder!”

A huge bolt of lightning came out from the sky and struck Golisopod square on its back, and with that one super-effective move, four fifths of Golisopod’s health was taken out, just like that! The Hard Scale Pokémon came running back to its Poké Ball, no thanks to its new Ability, Emergency Exit, which worked exactly the same way as Wimp Out did… call it a ‘tactical retreat’, but Yuri knew that deep down, despite its new, more menacing appearance, the Wimpod in it never really left. In any case, Yuri’s plans to finish off Reuniclus had to be put on hold. He had no choice but to use his turn to switch to his next Pokémon!

“So, where did that ‘one hit’ go, hmm?”

“It doesn’t matter! I’ll get you next turn, I swear! Go, Luxio!”

“Reuniclus, Recover!”

“Luxio, switch out, come back! Go, Golisopod!”

And with that, the massive Bug-and-Water-type reentered the battlefield, just in time for Reuniclus to finish repairing whatever damage it could on its bubble of an outer body. “Interesting… Yuri went for the double switch,” commented Otabek. “Plus, sending out Luxio first so that Reuniclus _wouldn’t_ use Thunder, so that Golisopod could switch in safely… that’s a pretty smart move.”

“And for the longest time, when Golisopod was still a Wimpod, forcing a switch whenever it’s down to half health has always been more of a detriment than a boon, especially in cases where it still has reason to remain in battle… But all that has changed once First Impression came into the picture, hasn’t it?” said Yuuri.

“Indeed!” Victor nodded. “For the thing about First Impression is that it can only work on Golisopod’s _first_ turn in battle! And because of that, Emergency Exit doesn’t just cause Golisopod to switch out, it also gives Golisopod a chance to switch _in_ at an opportune moment to dish out a 90 base power priority move – the strongest priority move there is!”

“And priority doesn’t give a single shit about your stupid Trick Room!” gloated Yuri. “Golisopod, First Impression!!!”

And Golisopod wasted no time at all. Barreling across the battlefield, it delivered yet another devastating blow onto Reuniclus’s head, taking it down… to critical health!!? Yuri’s hands flew to his head. _No!!! It’s still alive! How???_ The heal over time with Leftovers, plus the burst heal of Recover… it must have been giving Reuniclus just enough sustain, enough to live through Golisopod’s attack! He was too cocky; he totally underestimated Reuniclus’s bulk! And now… he was going to pay the price!

“Thunder!”

There was another bolt of lightning… and Golisopod, Yuri’s ace, collapsed on the ground, unable to battle any longer.

\---

 

_That… that doesn’t mean anything! I still have Revive!_

Two Max Revives to be exact. As soon as the time was ripe, Yuri would resurrect Golisopod back to full health like nothing had happened. First Impression, priority, STAB and super-effectiveness… it was his best answer – _the_ best answer – to Georgi’s Pokémon and strategy, and there was no way in hell he was going to let it get put down for long. But for now… it was up to Torracat and Luxio to try and make something work!

“Go, Torracat! Bite!”

“Reuniclus, switch out, come back! Go, Slowbro!”

A Water-and-Psychic-type! Slowbro was a pink, dopey-looking Pokémon with a gray, spiraled, spiked Shellder on its tail. Like Reuniclus, it was one of those Pokémon who sacrificed mobility for high stats in both offense and defense – in other words, a Pokémon who synced extremely well with Trick Room! Bite took out about a quarter of Slowbro’s health… or rather, a little less than a quarter after factoring in the recovery from Leftovers, which was still rather decent damage all things considered… but there was no way Torracat could stay on the field any longer. A super-effective Water-type move from Slowbro would put it out of commission in ten seconds flat.

“Torracat, switch out, come back!” called Yuri. “Go, Luxio!”

“Slowbro! Calm Mind!”

 _Of course he saw that switch coming,_ thought Yuri, gritting his teeth. _Of course he would use the opportunity to boost Slowbro’s Special Attack and Special Defense!_ And so long as Trick Room was in play…

… or was it? Glancing all around him, Yuri realized that the purple tint of the psychic panels was starting to fade… had faded and gone from the battlefield altogether. “Trick Room timed out!” said Yuuri. “This must be the end of the fifth turn! Now everything’s back to normal, and _Luxio’s_ the one who’s going to get the first move next turn!”

“Our chance!” said Yuri. “Luxio… Thunder Fang!” _No, not Wild Charge this time round. Not when Slowbro is more than capable of ending Luxio after the damage from recoil!_ Its fangs laced with deadly blue electricity, Luxio jumped up, latched onto the Shellder on Slowbro’s tail, and bit down hard on the nape of Slowbro’s neck, taking the Hermit Crab Pokémon to a little less than half of its health. But Slowbro looked far from fazed. It slammed its tail – and its pesky opponent along with it – heavily onto the ground, before launching a Scald – a pressurized jet of scorching hot water aimed directly onto Luxio, taking it down to critical.

 _Just as I predicted! Luxio’s not quite dead yet!_ The decision to equip Luxio with _both_ Thunder Fang and Wild Charge had proven itself to be a stroke of genius, even if he did say so himself. Being able to choose between the safer but low-damage Thunder Fang and the riskier but high-damage Wild Change just gave him that much more flexibility. _But what about now? Will Wild Charge be able to take Slowbro out at half?_ If that was the case, with what little health Luxio had left, it would be a double elimination, which Yuri was perfectly fine with… _but what if Slowbro doesn’t go down? Then Luxio would’ve died for absolutely nothing, would it not? Are we_ _in any position to take this risk?_

 _Argh, who gives a crap!? Screw it, we’re doing this! I believe in my Pokémon! I believe in its strength!_ “Luxio, Wild Charge!”

“Slowbro, that’s enough, come back!” said Georgi. “Go, Musharna!”

And for the second time today, Yuri felt like a total idiot. He could not believe he did not see it coming earlier. Of course, when pitting a slow Water-type possibly at lethal range against a faster Electric-type with super-effective moves, the most logical move would be to switch out! That was what he did with Torracat just now, that was what Georgi would do with Slowbro! _It’s a Psychic-type Gym Battle, but my prediction skills are sorely lacking today,_ thought the blonde boy, groaning internally. _So many mistakes… I can’t go on like this. My game plan has to be tighter! Cleaner! I mustn’t let any advantage get to my head!_

Fortunately, Wild Charge’s recoil did not kill Luxio; the Spark Pokémon was still hanging by a thread, with only one hit point left! “Perhaps this is one of the rare times one can truly be grateful for a defensively-orientated opponent,” Victor mused. “Yes, they are a pain in the neck to deal with, but had Musharna been a little squishier, had it been a little easier to wear down, Luxio would’ve done a little more damage… and ended its own life as a result!”

“Musharna, heal up with Leftovers!” ordered Georgi. “Then… Trick Room!” Blinking open its eyes, the pink-and-purple Drowsing Pokémon conjured five panels out of thin air that surrounded the battlefield, just like Reuniclus did before it… but Yuri was totally fine with that, for that created the opening he needed to use the Max Revive onto Golisopod! And now that his ace was in perfect fighting condition, the high ground was his once again!

“What’s the matter?” taunted Yuri. “Luxio’s low. Aren’t you going to deal the finishing blow?”

“Do you seriously think I can’t see through your plan?” replied Georgi with a wry chuckle. “It’s so plainly obvious that you don’t need psychic powers to do that! Once Luxio’s dead, you’ll get a free revenge switch into Golisopod and a get off a free First Impression onto my poor Musharna! There’s no way I’m going to let that happen!”

A smirk crept onto Yuri’s face. “Thought so. Which is why I’m going to do it myself! Luxio, come on back! Go, Golisopod!”

“Musharna, Calm Mind!”

“Yeah, like that’s going to work! Golisopod, First Impression!”

And with that crushing blow, a huge chunk of Musharna’s health was taken out, vaporized into thin air. It did not kill though, which was kind of disappointing, but Yuri figured he was fine with that. Even with a Calm Mind-boosted Special Attack, a full-health Golisopod would most likely be able to tank a not-very-effective hit from Musharna and the next, and dish out the finishing blow in return. Even if Georgi decided to heal it next turn, there was no way he could keep healing forever. And if he decided to switch… well, what else could he switch to? Slowbro? Reuniclus? They were just going to get killed by a super-effective Leech Life! There was simply no one whom the Gym Leader could use to safely switch into Golisopod right now – a testament to just how strong his partner was in this Psychic-Bug matchup!

But little did Yuri expect, Georgi did not command an attack from Musharna. Instead… “Musharna, Baton Pass to Reuniclus!”

“So instead of switch into a lethal attack from Golispod, Georgi makes use of Baton Pass so that Reuniclus can come in without receiving any damage!” said Victor. “Pretty brilliant move, if you ask me!”

“And not only that, thanks to Baton Pass, Reuniclus gets _all_ the boosts from Musharna’s Calm Mind!” Yuuri added. “An unboosted Thunder does about eighty percent of Golisopod’s health. With a plus-one boost in Special Attack… it’s bound to be a hundred-to-zero for sure! And because Golisopod doesn’t have priority any longer, Reuniclus is getting the first move next turn! Yurio needs to switch Golisopod out, right now!!”

“Golisopod, come on back! Go, Luxio!”

“Reuniclus, Psychic!”

An effortless wave of an arm from the Multiplying Pokémon and Luxio found itself flying headlong into the Trick Room panel behind it at top speed; there was a sickening crash… and it was over.

“… Go, Golisopod!”

“I must say, Yuri, I’m really impressed with your performance so far,” said Georgi, clapping his hands. “Your Golisopod is giving us quite the headache indeed. Did you raise it all the way from a Wimpod? Those things aren’t easy to train at low levels, or so I heard… but it’s certainly proving to be worth it, isn’t it? I can see why you’re a Trainer with four Badges. You have a lot of potential.”

“Can it with the flattery and start attacking already!” snapped Yuri, even though he could not help the grin tugging at his lips. “Golisopod, First Impression!”

And at once, Golisopod lunged towards Reuniclus, swinging its long, sharpened claws at it…

… only for Reuniclus to disappear back into its Ultra Ball in a beam of light. It turned out that Georgi had decided to call for the switch, replacing it with Slowbro, who took the full brunt of the First Impression for its teammate, toppling to the ground as a result…

… but not for long! Moments later, it rolled back to its feet, blinked a couple of times, and all was well once more.

“What???” gawked Yuri. “Wasn’t Slowbro at half health? How the hell did we not finish it? Unless… Slowbro has the Regenerator Ability?”

“That’s right!” replied Georgi. “Every time it switches out, it heals back a third of its health! You’re not going to take it out that easily!”

“Whatever! Your Slowbro’s going down anyway – and I’ll make sure of it! Golisopod, Leech Life!!!”

He had half-expected Slowbro to steal the turn and pull out a last-ditch attack or something in a similar vein… but to his surprise, Georgi went for the Hyper Potion onto Musharna instead, allowing Golisopod to sink its teeth into the pink Hermit Crab Pokémon and drain away the remainder of its life, without any form of resistance at all from the latter.  “You’d think that with how big a threat Golisopod is, the Gym Leader would’ve attempted to wear it down a little with an attack,” Otabek remarked, apparently thinking the same thing. “Or perhaps he should’ve brought out something to cripple it… like a Toxic, or maybe a Swagger.”

“But don’t forget – Trick Room’s effects end this turn!” said Victor. “Without it, anything Golisopod does is guaranteed to outspeed and kill _anyone_ Georgi brings out – and that’s not a good position to be in at all! So long as Golisopod’s alive, the only way Georgi can win is for Trick Room to be in play and the turn orders reversed, which means that either Musharna or Reuniclus needs to be healthy enough to survive an attack from Golisopod, and then set up Trick Room after that!”

“So… I guess he’s projecting ahead, huh?” said Otabek.

“Like every _good_ Trainer should!” said the Champion with a wink. “A real-life Future Sight, one might call it!”

True enough, the scenario on the battlefield played out exactly as Victor had described. Georgi sent out his full-health Musharna, who was immediately met with a world of hurt and pain no thanks to Golisopod’s Leech Life… fortunately for it, Leech Life did not manage to take it out just yet, allowing it to recreate its Trick Room with what little energy left in its system.       

“Now!” commanded Georgi. “Musharna, Psychic!”

It was Golisopod’s turn to feel the pain now, as it found itself forcefully arrested in mid-motion all of a sudden, bound and strangled by an invisible force – the same force which then proceeded to toss it into the air, as far as the Trick Room ceiling permitted, before pummeling it all the way down to the ground. And again. And again! The Hard Shell Pokémon struggled with everything it got to break free of its Psychic prison, but when it finally did, it was way too late. The damage was already done – way, way, _way_ more damage than Yuri expected – not enough to trigger Emergency Exit, but definitely way too close for comfort!

“You’ll pay for what you did, Musharna!” growled Yuri. “Leech Life, Golisopod! Kill it and regain the health you lost!”

With nary a trace of hesitation, Golisopod pounded onto Musharna and sank in its teeth, taking its opponent out once and for all.

\---

 

“Amazing, Yurio! Two down! One more to go!!!”

“Go! Go! Let’s go, let’s go, Yu-ri-o!!!”

“Don’t get your hopes up just yet,” said Georgi, recalling his fainted battler back to its Ultra Ball. “What Golisopod just regained was merely _half_ of Musharna’s _remaining_ health – peanuts compared to what you’ve just lost to Psychic! And now you’re exactly where we want you to be – point blank for a Thunder strike! Go, Reuniclus! You know what to do!”

“Dodge it!!!” screamed Yuri at the top of his lungs.

There was a crackle of lighting in the air… followed by a _gigantic_ bolt of electricity shooting up into the sky from the middle of the battlefield – which then split into multiple smaller bolts as they descended back down, each no less deadly than the main bolt it originated from! No matter where Golisopod tried to run off to, it was bound to get hit – and that was exactly what happened to it! “F-fried to a crisp!” gasped Yuuri. “Golisopod’s out!”

Yuri clenched his fists. “Hey! That’s the move I used in the Contest Spectacular!”

“Exactly!” said Georgi, smiling in satisfaction. “Thunder, as an attack, is infamous for its low Accuracy. Which is why a little creativity can go a long way… and your performance gave us the inspiration we so needed!”

It was always infuriating, to say the least, to have his own move used against him, but Yuri decided that it did not matter one bit. As his cheer squad had so loudly (and rather annoyingly) reminded him, Reuniclus was Georgi’s last Pokémon, the last obstacle separating him and his sweet, sweet Badge – and he still had one more Max Revive! Once Golisopod returned to its feet and switched in, it would be game over for the Gym Leader. He just needed to find the right time for it to happen!

“Go, Torracat!”

“Reuniclus, Recover!”

“Golisopod, take a Max Revive!”

Dismay was written all over on the Gym Leader’s face. “Again with the revive…? But hey, if you’re so desperate to see your partner fall three times in a row, I guess we’ll just have to grant you your wish! Reuniclus, Calm Mind!”

“He’s setting Reuniclus up for the kill!” observed Yuuri. “He knows all too well that a Calm Mind-boosted Thunder can one-shot Golisopod once it returns to the battle! Once Yurio switches –”

“But Yurio _isn’t_ going to switch, if that’s what’s coming for him!” said Victor. “What he needs right now, ideally, is for Torracat to take Reuniclus low enough with Bite. Then, Reuniclus has to _kill_ _Torracat_ , giving Golisopod the _safe_ revenge switch in to finish off the rest of Reuniclus with a priority First Impression!”

 _Which is why… that son of a bastard Gym Leader isn’t going to attack Torracat at all!_ Bite took Reuniclus down to half of its health, which was easily healed up with yet another Recover. _He’s not giving me a chance to lower Reuniclus’s HP. He’s not taking any chances with Golisopod! Is he seriously going to stall this out as long as he can, until I get tired of this deadlock and surrender or something? Well, guess what, bastard, I’m not going to, not now, not ever!_  “Torracat, Bite, again!”

The Fire Cat Pokémon pounced onto its opponent and ripped away a modest portion of its outer bubble with its teeth – and that was when Yuri noticed that the purple walls around him were no more, that Trick Room had ended its run yet again! Which meant one thing and only one thing – that Reuniclus has no other choice but to spend a turn setting up in order to regain its speed advantage, hence breaking this stupid, stupid, _stupid_ chain of Recover and Bite, once and for all! _This is it – our opening! Our route to victory!_

“Now, Torracat, switch out, come back! Go, Golisopod!”

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this!” cried Georgi, the grin on his face gleeful and triumphant. "Reuniclus, Thunder!!!”

“NOOOOOO!!!!!!” In a flash (of lightning), in a blink of an eye, Golisopod was out like a light!

Yuri’s jaw dropped. His mind was nothing but a whirl. He refused to believe what he was seeing. _What… just happened…? How the hell did it even happen??? He predicted the switch… He totally knew I was going to switch, and… and he countered it!_ “You’re sure you’re not a psychic.”

“No,” said Georgi. “Just an expert at training the Psychic-type… someone who knows his strategy at the back of his hand. I’ve battled so many Trainers with this Trick Room team – too many to count, really, which is why I know that most of them will try to fully utilize that single turn between the end of one room and the start of another to make a big, game-changing play! And anticipating that, I go for the counter-play! It’s not psychic powers that make _good_ predictions, Yuri, it’s experience, and knowledge, and understanding!”

“But it’s precisely because we don’t have psychic powers that good predictions aren’t _perfect_ ,” Victor chimed in. “Because no one can foresee what the future holds, or what each challenger is really thinking inside his head, or when that minute chance of Paralysis or Confusion is actually going to kick in… there’s no true way of knowing how things are going to play out on the battlefield! Yet that isn’t always a bad thing, is it? The rush of exhilaration you get when the pendulum of fate swings your way and you get a crit, the roller coaster of emotions you feel when you outsmart your opponent and get outsmarted in return, the unexpected comeback from behind, and of course, the always-present element of surprise… that’s _precisely_  what makes Pokémon battles so thrilling and exciting!”

 _Outsmarted… outpredicted_ …  was this going to be the story of this battle? Was this going to be how Yuri was going to fail? No… Golisopod might be dead, but he sure as hell wasn’t! There was no reason for him to despair right now! The good news was, Trick Room had yet to appear on the field, which meant that he still had the speed advantage. The bad news was… did it even matter at this point?

“Torracat… Bite!”

“Not enough!” said Georgi. “You know how tanky Reuniclus is. So what if Bite is super-effective against us? It doesn’t have that extra boost of STAB. And at 60 base power, it doesn’t have the burst that a First Impression or a Leech Life from Golisopod had! Now, it’s our turn! With Golisopod out of the way, there’s no reason _not_ to go all in for the kill! Reuniclus, Psychic!”

But Reuniclus did not respond. It remained floating in its spot, trembling slightly, its eyes completely hazed over, as if it was paralyzed… paralyzed by _fear_ , that was! “So, you managed to get the lucky flinch,” said Georgi. “But that’s all you’re going to get – because your run ends right here, right now! Reuniclus, Psychic!”

“Torracat, Bite, one more time!!!”

With all its might, Torracat chomped down on Reuniclus… and that was it. No crit. No flinch. No kill. Reuniclus’s health remained in the red, and one Psychic was all it needed to knock Torracat out of the battle.

…

…

Yuri took a deep breath. “I lost…”

“Hey, don't feel too bad,” said Georgi. “It was a good showing, though –”

“… to you at predictions, is what I wanted to say. All this while, I thought I was getting pretty good at reading my opponent's moves, but damn was I totally outclassed for the whole of this match! Then again…” The blonde boy reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around a Poké Ball – one that felt smoother than the others… one that gleamed brighter than the others under the glaring light…  one that was still unweathered and unstained, almost  _brand new_. “Then again… I’m sure you didn’t predict this – my fourth Pokémon!!! Go, Espurr! Dark Pulse!!!”

And in a twist of fates, it was Georgi’s jaw that fell all the way to the floor this time round, as Espurr unleashed an unrelenting barrage of pitch-dark energy spheres onto Reuniclus, fainting it and securing Yuri the final win!

“In a Psychic-type Gym like this one… it’s only right that Espurr join in the fun too, don’t you think so?” said Yuri, the smirk on his face the widest it had ever been in a while. Espurr tottered over to him and leapt into his arms, and he squeezed it back, his heart filled with nothing but pride and elation and of course, schadenfreude. “Hey, Georgi! How’s that for a baby Pokémon’s debut Trainer battle?” 

The Gym Leader let out a resigned chuckle. “Well, when you put it that way… I guess it can’t get any better than this, huh? In any case, congratulations are in order, Yuri! For your hard-fought victory, I reward you the Sense Badge.”

\---

 

The sun was beginning to dip into the horizon by the time Yuri and the others bade goodbye to Georgi and left the Jaune Town Gym. “Hurry the hell up, slowpokes!” snapped Yuri. “Why are you guys still dallying around??? If we’re fast enough, we can still make it to the next town by nightfall!”

“Calm down, Yuri,” said Otabek. “To get to Leontine City, we’re going to have to cross the Jaune Plains – which, I’ve heard, is a natural maze. It’s best if we set off in the daytime… tomorrow.”

“Oh, come on! Since when are you so afraid of getting lost?”

“Hey, Otabek has a point!” said Yuuri. “Besides, you’ve just won yourself a Gym Battle! You and your Pokémon deserve a treat! And with the success of our Contest Spectacular event yesterday…”

“Oh, right,” said Yuri, stopping in his tracks. “That reminds me. You guys… said you’re going to stick with me until Jaune Town, didn’t you? You know, way back when we first met. I… I didn’t forget that.” _Almost… but I guess I didn’t after all._

“Then… did you forget what I told you in Eglanteria Town?” asked Victor, his sapphire eyes boring into Yuri’s, his voice soft and earnest. "If you did, let me remind you – we _do_ like to travel with you, Yurio. It’s been a blast! If given the choice, I’d gladly do it forever – all four of us, journeying together, just like this! Which is why… we’re tagging along with you for the rest of your journey, alright?”

“I certainly am, at least!” said Yuuri.

“So am I,” said Otabek.

“F-fine!!” said Yuri, a slight tinge of pink creeping to his cheeks. “If that’s what you want! It’s not like I’m forcing any of you guys to do this, isn’t it?”

“Definitely not!” grinned Victor, his face beaming with pure joy. “Now, what was it that I heard about a treat?”

Five Badges down, three more to go. Three more till his goal, three more till the end! As per usual, Yuri could not wait to head out there and see what the rest of the world had in store for him and his Pokémon!


	32. The King Of These Plains (Part I)

… And he could have sworn, the horn on its head just grew twice as large, still dripping profusely with venom; without a moment’s hesitation, he scrambled back up to his feet and sprinted as fast as he could, as hard as he could – which, he realized with a bolt of horror, was completely and utterly useless, for the footsteps behind him showed no signs of slowing down at all; no, far from that, they were picking up speed, closing in on him, booming louder and louder, and the next thing he knew, a huge, purple tail came swishing –

_A few hours ago…_

“What in the name of hell is even up with this place???”

They could not have been more than a hundred steps into the Jaune Plains and they were already lost. They did not know where to go, they did not know where they had been, it was nothing short of a disaster. Yuri would blame Yuuri’s crappy navigational skills, or Yuuri’s PokéNav Plus for having such a goddamn useless map function – like seriously, what good was dropping so much money on a tool that _didn’t_ give specific directions at the one place where directions were so sorely needed? – but he knew deep down that it was not as straightforward as that. No, it was not Yuuri’s fault, nor was it the fault of the PokéNav Plus… it was the fact that this place itself was absolutely bonkers. Everything looked the same. Everything _felt_ the same. No matter where they went, no matter which direction they faced, it was just grass and grass and more grass, grass for days and days to come! To make things worse, it was not the typical kind of tall grass they were accustomed to, but _long_ grass, grass that towered high above their heads, grass that grew in such abundance that it actually blocked out the sun, drowning them in a rough, itchy, prickly, irritating, ocean of torture.

“Hey, Victor… you’ve been here quite a number of times, haven’t you? Perhaps you should be the one leading the way. I don’t think anything I’m doing is working.” There was a dejected look on Yuuri’s face, like he had _failed_ or something… which he kind of did, in all honesty, but Yuri knew all too well that he would have ended up the same way too, if he were in his position. Somehow, he had a feeling that for the inexperienced and uninitiated, getting lost in the Jaune Plains was not a mistake, but a _given_.

“How did it all go wrong…” pondered Otabek. “Last I checked, we were heading southwest, in the direction of Leontine City…”

“Or we _think_ we’re heading southwest,” said Yuuri, a tinge of panic seeping into his voice, “when all this time, we’re moving in the opposite direction! We could be going around and around in circles, for all we know!”

Otabek turned to Victor. “How did you manage to find your way in the past? Perhaps, if we tried the exact same thing –”

“That isn’t going to work, Otabek,” said the Champion, shaking his head. “This isn’t your usual town, where the roads and layouts are more or less _permanent_ , where familiarity comes naturally the more frequently you visit the place. In fact… you can’t really consider this place a ‘route’ either, for that still involves a certain level of planning and development. There is absolutely _zero_ human interference in the Jaune Plains; _everything_ is left to nature’s hands. The grass is allowed to grow wild and free and untamed, as tall as they want, wherever they want, resulting in a layout that isn’t fixed in the slightest, a layout that’s continuously shifting, even as we speak. You could even say that the Plains are alive, in a way.”

“In other words… each time we visit, it’ll be a brand new place altogether,” said Yuuri thoughtfully. “I guess that also explains why the map function on the PokéNav Plus doesn’t work. There’s no point in making a map when the map changes all the time.”

“Exactly!” said Victor. “And there’s no point in relying on my past experiences, since repeating the same paths I took a decade ago isn’t ever going to give us the same desired outcome!”

“Jeez! You’d think that after all those years, at least _someone_ would’ve come along by now to deal with this place, grass and all!” grumbled Yuri. “Hasn’t anyone heard of lawnmowers?”

“Obviously, they weren’t of much use,” Otabek pointed out. “Otherwise, this would be a much different place today.”

“You hit the nail right on the head, Otabek!” said Victor. “From what I’ve heard, there’s something about this place that makes the grass grow ultra-fast – a combination of the weather and the soil quality, apparently – making it practically impossible to contain their growth. No matter how many attempts there are to trim them down to a much more manageable length, to mow them down to clear a path, the grass just keeps coming back, faster than anything concrete can be built!”

“Then why didn’t you tell us about this sooner???” demanded Yuri.

“Don’t you get it, Yurio?” said Victor, eagerness written all over his face. “It’s like a rite of passage for Trainers wishing to get to Leontine City! Getting lost _is_ the whole point! Letting the unpredictable Mother Nature take you wherever she wants to take you, wandering for the sake of wandering, heading out not knowing what surprises lie ahead, discovering things you didn’t think you wanted to discover until you actually do… isn’t this what a ‘journey’ is supposed to be about?”

“Sure, whatever, but that isn’t going to change even if you told us about the Plains beforehand! We’ll still be lost… like we are right now!”

Victor giggled sheepishly. “Well… I guess I didn’t want to spoil the initial surprise for you guys!”

“Yeah, right! You just love watching us suffer, don’t you?” scoffed Yuri. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a Poké Ball, and threw it into the air. “Well, too bad for you, there’s no way I’m going to fumble around like an idiot and do nothing about this mess we’re in! If there isn’t a proper way out, I’m going to _make_ one myself! Golisopod! Slash!”

A swish of claws and the stalk of grass directly in front of them was sliced down to the length of their knees, to the same length as ordinary tall grass! “Last I checked, grass doesn’t grow back in a day!” said the blonde boy, smirking triumphantly. “No matter how fast your so-called ‘ultra-fast’ is! And that’s more than enough time for us to get the hell out of this place!”

“Hold on a minute, Yurio!” said Yuuri. “Are you sure about this? You’re disturbing the habitats of wild Pokémon without giving them any prior warning – not permanently, of course, but it’s still going to affect them quite a bit! In such a hostile environment, they’re going to be much more unhinged… much more feral than your usual encounters! Are you prepared to deal with them?”

“Are you kidding me?” replied Yuri, licking his lips expectantly. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day! My teammates are raring for some training for our next Gym challenge!”

“Alright then, if you say so! In that case… let me give you a hand!” There was a noticeable glint of excitement in Yuuri’s eyes, as he tossed an Ultra Ball high up into the air. “Let’s up the ante, shall we? Go, Greninja! With this Hidden Machine over here… Greninja can now use… _Cut_!”

The blue Ninja Pokémon swung in a circle, its hands glowing white and sharp as sickles… within seconds, every single blade of grass in a ten-feet radius was diced to pieces, just like that! Yuri could finally see the sky, the sun blistering brightly above them, the cotton-like clouds against a baby blue backdrop. If Greninja kept at it like this from here on out, perhaps they would be able to see Leontine City in the horizon as well! “ _Yuuuuuuri_!” whined Victor playfully. “I can’t believe you’re siding with Yurio on this! What about the magic of the unknown, the romance of the journey?”

“Well, when you put it that way… etching out a path for ourselves when there is none… searching for light in a world of pitch darkness… pressing on forward despite not knowing the answers… that’s part of a journey too, isn’t it?” said Yuuri with a wink, his voice mild yet full of conviction. “Besides… I think Yurio could use some help! I mean, I know how he feels! I’m not too big on losing my bearings and not doing anything about it either!”

That was when Victor started bursting into giggles, his face flushed pink like a Pecha Berry. “Oh, Yuuri! You… you really shouldn’t play with my heart like this, you know!”

“W-what?? What did I do??”

Yuri and Otabek glanced at each other and back to the other two, wondering the exact same thing.

\---

 

It was mind-blowing how much of a difference a good Greninja Cut made to their whole Jaune Plains experience. Not only could they finally have an inkling on which direction they were heading, there was also none of that awful, scratchy feeling of grass brushing against skin. And best of all, true to Yuuri’s predictions, the wild Pokémon just kept coming at them! Pidgeotto, Nidorino, Nuzleaf, Blitzle, Stufful, Durant… all of them were taken care of easily one after another by Yuri and his Pokémon, with the occasional help (or kill-stealing, as Yuri put it) from Otabek.

The sole downside however, was the weather; it was a particularly hot and humid afternoon, and getting rid of the grass essentially got rid of any shelter they once had as well. Even with his jacket tied to his waist, Yuri’s entire body was drenched with sweat; there was nothing he wanted more than to duck inside a freezer and devour a million Casteliacones in one gulp. Still, as Victor had pointed out, being exposed to the sun was a good thing in times like this, for by following the position of the sun in the sky and looking at the shadows cast on the ground, finding their bearings would be a piece of cake. “By my estimation, we’ll be able to reach Leontine City in the evening, perhaps with time to spare before the sun completely sets!”

“Time to spare?” said Yuri, cracking his knuckles. “Sounds good to me! Let’s get some more training done, then! Who’s next?”

“Don’t get your hopes up too much, Yurio,” teased Yuuri. “With the rate you’re fainting the wild Pokémon, I’m not surprised if it turned out that you scared them all into hiding!”

“No way!” groaned Yuri, clearly crestfallen. “Are they cowards, or what? Who the hell am I supposed to battle now? Unless… hey, Otabek!”

The older boy’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Me?!”

“Who else, dumbass? Come to think of it, it’s been way too long since we last battled each other, huh? Why don’t we have a rematch right now?”

“…Sure, if you’re up for it.”

“Then it’s settled! Let’s do this!”

“Wow, this is so exciting!” said Victor, clapping his hands together. “Come to think of it, it’s going to be our first time watching the two of you face off in a full-blown rival match! Now I’m _really_ curious – how did it all begin in the first place? How and when did you two meet? What was your first battle like? Did it end in a win for Yurio or did Otabek trounce –”

“Oh, shut the hell up, old man!” interrupted Yuri, all too eager to put an end to the topic before it blew out of proportion. “Who even cares about all that!? Let’s get this battle started! Go, Espurr!”

“Go, Venusaur!”

“Psychic versus Poison!” said Yuuri. “What an ideal matchup for Yurio!”

“But we’re pitting an unevolved Pokémon against a fully-evolved one,” Victor pointed out. “In terms of base stats across the board, Venusaur’s the one with the full advantage! No matter how I see it, this is going to be a pretty close fight!”

_Tell me about it!_ Yuri had witnessed for himself how powerful Venusaur’s Frenzy Plant was, how much strength and control it had over its ultimate move. And with Otabek as its Trainer, even with the type advantage, he and his Pokémon were going to need to give their everything and more to come out ahead!

Yet, when all was said and done… they would come out ahead. They _had to_ come out ahead. This time, it had to happen. Yuri would make sure of it!

“Venusaur, Sleep Powder!” ordered Otabek.

Venusaur began shaking vigorously, releasing into the air a greenish powder from the plant on its back. Thankfully, Espurr sensed that coming a mile away. With its telekinesis, it tumbled out of the way, avoiding the spores, floating over and above its opponent in a parabola and landing softly behind it.

“Great dodge, Espurr!” said Yuri. “Now, Light Screen!”

Its eyes glowing red, Espurr created a pink, cube-shaped shield around its body. _Venusaur is a Specially-oriented Pokémon, so the Light Screen should be able to protect Espurr from being taken down too low,_ Yuri reasoned. _If we can dodge one more Sleep Powder…_

But to Yuri’s surprise, Otabek commanded a Growth from Venusaur instead; he had pretty much expected his rival to go for the Sleep Powder again, just to incapacitate Espurr and prevent a super-effective Psychic-type hit. Venusaur began absorbing sunlight with its plant… but something seemed… off. For some reason, Venusaur seemed much, much more pumped up than usual, like every inch of it was radiating pure, unadulterated solar energy. Was Growth that powerful of a charging move? Had Growth ever been that powerful of a charging move?

He flipped his Pokédex open and found the answer staring at him straight in his face. “‘In harsh sunlight, Growth raises Venusaur’s Attack and Special Attack by twice the amount’!” That was equivalent to a Swords Dance plus a Nasty Plot, all in one turn! In other words, with just that one move, Venusaur had turned from an annoying, status-spreading bruiser-type into a dangerous sweeping threat!

“Let’s not get outdone, Espurr!” he said, clenching his fists. “Calm Mind!”

“It’s no use!” exclaimed Otabek. “Venusaur, Solar Beam!”

The Seed Pokémon bellowed towards the sun – and at once, a huge beam of bright, piercing light fell from the skies and struck Espurr directly in its face, driving it into the ground! Yuri held his breath. A Solar Beam that did not need require time to charge… a Solar Beam massively powered by Growth… in any other circumstance, it would have killed Espurr twice and again with room for more… but there was still a sliver of hope as far as this fight was concerned! After all, Espurr had an equally enormous – if not greater – Special Defense boost with Calm Mind and Light Screen! Surely… surely, those had to count for something! Surely, that had to mitigate some of the damage!

The question was, how much?

Smoke and dust billowed out in spades where Espurr stood, and when it cleared, Yuri saw that his partner was singed beyond belief, with actual smoke emerging from its body… but still alive! All that setting up actually paid off for them! There was a noticeable scowl of displeasure on Otabek’s face, which only served to encourage Yuri even more… yet he knew all too well that his problems were far from over, for Espurr was literally one hit away from certain death!

“We need to end Venusaur with this attack!” said Yuri. “We need to, or we’re done for! I’m counting on you, Espurr! Psyshock!”

Espurr closed its eyes and concentrated, conjuring up a mass of crystal-like energy orbs in a ring around it. Then, blinking its eyes open, it fired the orbs all at once onto Venusaur, bombarding it with all it had… but to Yuri’s utter dismay, Venusaur did not go down! _No!!_ Even with the Special Attack boost from Calm Mind, even with Psyshock targeting Venusaur’s relatively lower Defense instead of its Special Defense, it was still not enough! _And now that we’ve exhausted our one and only chance to take down Venusaur… what do we do?_ In any case, no matter what, there was no way he would let Espurr go down just like that; it was far too useful against Otabek’s team. “Switch out, Espurr, come back! Go, Torracat!”

“Venusaur!” came Otabek’s command. “Sludge Bomb!”

A barrage of sludge pellets, and Torracat was covered from head to toe with junk. “Yikes!” Victor winced. “Torracat’s going to need a whole lot of grooming and scrubbing once this battle’s over!”

“Yurio… doesn’t look too bothered about it though, for some reason!” observed Yuuri.

The blonde boy could not help the smirk on his face. In front of him, Torracat crouched into position, glaring determinedly at its opponent, its eyes blazing like an inferno. “Hey, Otabek… you do remember the last time you put us in a situation like this, don’t you? Remember what happened to Venusaur? Are you sure you want history to repeat itself?”

“You know my answer,” said Otabek, grinning back. “Venusaur, switch out! Go, Tentacruel!”

“Torracat, Fire Blast!”

With Blaze in full effect, with the hot afternoon sun shining like a supernova, Yuri reckoned that a move like Fire Blast should be able to deal a pretty decent amount of damage, even with Tentacruel being a Water-type, even with Tentacruel having stellar Special Defense stats… if it connected, that was. Unfortunately for him, Tentacruel was able to slide away in the nick of time, causing the Fire Blast to whiz past it and into the distance.

“Huh… I didn’t think you’d still go for a Fire-type move, knowing full well I’ll switch,” said Otabek.

“But you knew that I knew that you’ll switch!” retorted Yuri. “So I thought… Even so, even if it gets resisted, I’m sure Fire Blast would’ve done way more damage than any non-Fire-type move!”

“… What happened to the Fire Blast, anyway?”

It turned out, the attack had whizzed past Tentacruel and into the distance…

… and hit an unassuming wild Pokémon straight on its back!

“Crap!” shrieked Yuri. “That wasn’t meant to happen! Oh well, I guess some free experience for Torracat doesn’t hurt –”

“Umm… I don’t think it’s down, Yurio,” stammered Yuuri.

“… Eh?”

Without realizing it, he found himself inching closer and closer to the spot where the Fire Blast struck, where that certain wild Pokémon _had to_ be. A Blaze-boosted, sun-boosted Fire Blast… and it did not take it down… somehow. Did it have a type that resisted Fire? That couldn’t be it; he did not remember encountering any Dragon, Fire, Rock or Water-type Pokémon in these parts. Which meant that the Fire Blast landed as a neutral hit, or even a super-effective one, dealing the full brunt of its damage…

… and the Pokémon survived.

_What sort of Pokémon…?_

His heart was hammering in his mouth; his fingers were digging deeper into his palms. There, on the grass a couple of paces away, lay a large, purple Pokémon with an enormous tail and a long horn on its head – a Nidoking! There were spikes on its ears and even more spikes down its back; its teeth were pointed and jagged, and its claws were sharper than its teeth. With a shrill roar, it pushed itself back to its feet and shook off the Fire Blast damage like it was nothing; another shrill roar and it began scanning the area with eyes filled with rage and resentment, with a glare that could make even the strongest warrior’s blood curdle, like it was seeking out the scum that fell it once (and once was one time too many!), like it was seeking out _revenge_ …

Its eyes met theirs.

“Run!!!” screamed Otabek, and run they all did at once in the opposite direction, no questions asked. The Nidoking’s horn glowed an eerie purple, and within seconds, a shower of thin, purple needles started pouring down –

“Tentacruel, help us, quick!!”

Pushing off the ground with its tentacles, the Jellyfish Pokémon leapt directly in front of the Nidoking, absorbing the needles into its body before they could reach Yuri and the others.

“That was Poison Sting!” gasped Yuuri. “If it hit us, we’ll be poisoned, for sure! Great job, Otabek, Tentacruel!”

“Don’t mention it,” Otabek replied. “Something’s strange, though… This isn’t just any old Nidoking, it seems! It’s way larger than any other member of its species!”

“L-larger!?” repeated Yuri.

“Most Nidoking usually stand at four to five feet,” Otabek explained. “But this particular one, however… this particular one has to be at least six feet tall! I didn’t think… I never imagined… that such a Nidoking could exist!”

“No doubt about it, just like its name suggests… this Nidoking must be the king of these Plains!” said Victor. He reached into his bag and pulled out an Ultra Ball. “Unfortunately for you, my friend, your reign of terror is over! You’re still no match for me and my –”

 “Don’t faint it!!!” cried Yuri and Otabek in unison.

“Huh???” Both the Elite Four and the Champion were taken aback.

“I’m going to capture it!” cried Yuri and Otabek in unison, again.

…

Now that… that was downright uncanny.

“Hey, what gives, Otabek?” said Yuri. “It’s mine! I was the one who damaged it first!”

“Yeah, sure, but had it not been for my Tentacruel, all of us would’ve been dead,” said Otabek. “Obviously, I’m more suited to train this Nidoking.”

“And I’m _not_??? You know, the Trainer with five actual Badges? How many Badges do you have?”

“Guys –” said Yuuri.

“You stay out of this!”

“Umm… you guys might want to take a look at the Nidoking…”

There it was, that eerie purple glow, and there is was… another wave of Poison Sting! Immediately, Yuri and the other crouched down and lay flat on the ground on their stomachs, as Tentacruel loomed over them like an umbrella, protecting them from the lethal attack once more.

“Alright Yuuri, that’s it, we’re out of here!” said Victor, standing up and brushing the dirt off his clothes. He smiled at Yuri and Otabek. “We’ll leave the Nidoking to those two, who we both know are more than capable of dealing with it, am I right?”

“Of course!” said Yuri with a firm nod.

“Plus, it’s not nice if we _outsiders_ interfere in the continuation of their rival battle, don’t you think?” Victor continued with a mischievous wink. “That’s like, the most sacred of Trainer battles, after all! Come on out, Togekiss! Fly!”

The Elite Four and the Champion climbed aboard Togekiss’s back and took off into the skies. “We’ll be up here if you need us, alright?” came Yuuri’s voice from above. “So don’t be afraid to give us a call if you’re having any trouble!”

And with that, it was Yuri and Otabek left against a giant Nidoking.

It went without saying, of course, that whoever captured the Nidoking would be the winner of their rematch. And more importantly, whoever captured the Nidoking would be receiving a large spike in their team’s power.

Yuri _had to_ come out ahead. This time, it had to happen. He would make sure of it.


	33. The King Of These Plains (Part II)

“Torracat, Bite!!!”

Who could have ever imagined that a Nidoking – this wild Nidoking – might just be one of Yuri’s toughest opponents yet?

Even after taking into account the numerous Trainers he had fought, the formidable Gym Leaders of each town, an Elite Four, a Champion, his very own rival…

After all, at least none of them were actively trying to _eviscerate_ him!

Its breaths were heavy and menacing, its eyes were searing with unbridled bloodlust, its air wrathful yet arrogant. Like a rapid-fire rocket launcher with unlimited ammo, like a rapid-fire rocket launcher that knew not the meaning of mercy, every single aspect of this Nidoking screamed danger, nothing but danger, a whole world of danger for anyone who dared stand in its way! It didn’t care what it was attacking, or where it was attacking; it just _wanted_ to attack – something, someone, anything, anyone, everything, everyone, no exceptions! Yuri was all too aware that there was no way he could let his guard down, even for a second. A lapse in concentration, a careless opening and he was screwed – dead.

And the Nidoking wasn’t stopping. It didn’t look as if it was going to stop any time soon. Poison Sting after Poison Sting rained down onto the field like a missile barrage, striking down all the other wild Pokémon in the vicinity, threatening to strike down Yuri too, if it were not for his trusty Torracat tanking the hits for him. _Hang in there, Torracat! You mustn’t faint no matter what!_ For when the end goal was a capture and not a defeat, when the end goal was making the Nidoking’s strength his very own, it was never a battle of pure prowess – it was a test of endurance! And Yuri was going to make sure he endured to the very end!

“Torracat, Bite, again!”

Little by little, slowly but surely, Nidoking’s health was being whittled down. The plan was to drop it low enough for the capture _without_ outright fainting it… but Yuri knew it was not as simple as that. After all, there was still the issue of Otabek Altin, and whatever the hell that rival of his was scheming to nab the Nidoking before he did… although, come to think of it, it had been quite some time since Yuri saw Otabek and his Pokémon. They had no presence in this current fight, there were no attacks onto Nidoking coming from their end… it was totally as if they had vanished into thin air, or _died_ , or something… _wait,_ _did they???_ His stomach lurched at that thought; on hindsight, he knew should have paid better attention to the well-being of his fellow Trainer in a hairy situation like this – no, kept better tabs on his competition to make sure that he was always one step ahead at all times – _but there’s just no way that Otabek would’ve gotten himself killed! He’s strong! He isn't going to go down that easily! He isn’t – shit!!!_

That was his one second of distraction, and that was Nidoking’s cue to swing its heavy tail straight at him – fortunately, he managed to dive out of the way in the nick of time, barely avoiding the impact by an inch! His elbows were gashed and scraped, and his heart was practically on the verge of going into arrest, but all that could not even begin to compare to the tremendous amount of relief pouring into his veins at this very moment! That was too close! That was way too close!

Beside him, Torracat let out a snarl, its protective instincts kicked into full gear. Dashing headfirst towards the Nidoking, it flipped into the air, landed onto its head and started gnawing at its huge horn, without giving a single care about the poison that might befall it, without giving a single care about the how its actions were going to fan the flames of Nidoking uncontrollable fury! An effortless swipe by Nidoking and Torracat was swatted away like a bug, hurled into the air – but it wasn’t fazed; it was too experienced of a battler to be bothered by a small setback like that! It launched itself towards Nidoking’s head once again – and this time, anticipating the counter, darted down onto Nidoking’s back, successfully avoiding Nidoking’s subsequent swipe; without a moment’s hesitation, it opened its mouth wide, and chomped down – hard – onto Nidoking’s shoulder blade! The Drill Pokémon let out a roar of anguish.

“Nice job, Torracat!” cheered Yuri. “Let’s keep this up!” A couple more attacks and Nidoking’s health would be right where they wanted it – the sweet, sweet range for capture! Of course, there was no way in hell Nidoking was going to let Torracat get away with injuring it that easily. With another shrieking cry, it started charging towards Yuri and Torracat at full speed, rocking the earth with every step, unleashing the full force of its Poison Sting directly onto them while at it! And at once, they ran, ran like their lives depended on it, _because_ their lives totally depended on it – because that was the only solution Yuri’s panicked, screaming brain could think of right now! _Damn it, damn it, damn it!! The lower we take its health, the angrier it’s going to get!_ _Everything we’re doing is making things harder for us! Everything we’re doing is putting our lives in greater peril!_

He could not take it anymore. His legs caved in. There was only so much running he could do before his lungs and organs and systems collapsed in on themselves. He took a quick glance behind him, hoping desperately that Nidoking was nowhere near in sight – but no, of course not, it was still giving chase, coming for their blood, coming for their skulls! And he could have sworn, the horn on its head just grew twice as large, still dripping profusely with venom; without a moment’s hesitation, he scrambled back up to his feet and sprinted as fast as he could, as hard as he could – which, he realized with a bolt of horror, was completely and utterly useless, for the footsteps behind him showed no signs of slowing down at all; no, far from that, they were picking up speed, closing in on him, booming louder and louder, and the next thing he knew, a huge, purple tail came swishing –

“Tentacruel! Wrap!”

From above, a blue jellyfish-like Pokémon descended onto Nidoking, coiling its thick, gray tentacles around its legs… its tail… its arms… its entire body! And just like that, the once-rampaging Nidoking had its movements brought to a complete halt! Sensing the opportunity, Torracat jumped back onto Nidoking and landed another Bite onto its shoulder, doing its very best to leave another dent into Nidoking’s tough skin. Yuri felt a hand grip his arm and the next thing he knew, Otabek was pulling him into the nearest patch of long grass, out of Nidoking’s sight, and hopefully, out of Nidoking’s mind for the time being. “We should be safe here. For once, this environment is working to our advantage.”

Yuri wasn’t registering anything his rival had just said. His mind was still reeling. His heart was still hammering. To think that if it were not for Otabek – wait a minute…

“Otabek! Where the hell were you? Why did you disappear all of a sudden?” And then it dawned on him. “Could it be that… you were hiding in long grass all this time?”

Otabek nodded. “It’s the best way to observe Nidoking’s attack patterns without putting myself at risk. I wanted to get a better grasp on its strength before showing my hand. It’s never wise to rush recklessly into battle without fully understanding what your opponent is capable of. You, of all people, should know that by now.”

“Hey! Did you just –” Yuri would continue down that road, but now was obviously not a good time for that. He crossed his arms huffily. “Arghhh! Whatever! At least you didn’t just… drop dead all of a sudden, or anything! You had me worried for nothing, asshole!”

Otabek’s eyes widened. “You were worried… about me?”

“… Look, are you going to tell me what you found out about Nidoking or not?”

Otabek opened his hand and revealed a thin, purple, needle-like barb – Poison Sting! Yuri’s jaw dropped to the floor. The fact that Otabek was holding it like it was the least dangerous object in the world, the fact that he was holding it in his _bare hand_ … “Are you insane?” Yuri blurted out. “That thing has poison in it! You could be…” He trailed off. The very fact _was_ that Otabek _was_ holding it in his bare hand, had been holding it in his bare hand all this time, yet he still wasn’t dead – come to think of it, Torracat had been pelted time and again with the same Poison Sting attack, yet it hadn’t even gotten poisoned once… which could only mean… that the attack itself… wasn’t poisonous? A Poison Sting that wasn’t poisonous… was that even possible?

“I found it really suspicious,” said Otabek. “when I saw that the grass this Poison Sting landed on didn’t melt or corrode, like anything would when an actual poison is applied. And the only explanation for this phenomenon is that Nidoking has the Sheer Force Ability – an Ability that amplifies the power of attacks with additional effects, at the cost of making said effects useless! In other words…”

“It’s a Poison Sting that isn’t poisonous indeed – but inflicts way more damage to our Pokémon!” It did not take long for Yuri to realize the implications. So, all this while, he had actually been _underestimating_ the danger of this Nidoking – even though it was the very last thing he ever wanted to do in a situation like this! And Torracat… Torracat, who had probably eaten up at least a _million_ Poison Sting attacks by now… what had once seemed like chip damage had turned out to be more severe than he had expected! And right now… how long more could Torracat and Tentacruel survive against this monster? How long more could they contain –

“ _Mrrrrrrrrooooooooooooooowwwwwr!!!_ ”

_Torracat!!!_ The two Trainers rushed out from the long grass, out into the open, and what unfolded before their very eyes was nothing short of a nightmare! There, flat on the ground, were the fainted remains of Tentacruel and Torracat, bruised and battered, with Nidoking towering above them, its piercing eyes wild with rage and resentment. But the Drill Pokémon was just getting started. Stomping towards Tentacruel, Nidoking grabbed its limp tentacles in its iron grip – the very shackles that constrained and constricted it just now, if only for a mere moment – swung them all – and Tentacruel along with them – into the air and smashed them down onto the ground! Another heavy stomp, and the ground beneath Tentacruel and Torracat began erupting in swift, pressurized bursts, engulfing and utterly overwhelming the two poor Pokémon.

“Tentacruel!” exclaimed Otabek.

“Torracat!” yelled Yuri. “Damn you, Nidoking, they’re already dead!” At once, the two Trainers recalled their Pokémon back to their Poké Balls… which only made matters a thousand times worse than they were before, for now that their Pokémon had essentially disappeared from the field, who else could Nidoking target but them… and the rest of the Plains? No, correction – it was no longer mere plains they were battling in… it was a minefield… a freaking warzone! With each stomp from Nidoking, a piece of ground erupted, _exploded_ , spurting out massive heaps of grass and dirt and soil all over the place, flipping the entire place upside-down – literally! Yuri and Otabek started running as fast as their legs would allow them; they would hide, but unfortunately for them, that wasn’t an option anymore, because every single blade of long grass had been completely _annihilated_ , mashed and mangled and uprooted by Nidoking’s wrath! To add insult to injury, every single remaining wild Pokémon in the area had been stirred up by this calamitous turn of events, triggered into a full-blown stampede – a stampede headed straight at them! The blasts, the growls, the shrieks, the stomps… it was complete chaos!

“Go, Espurr! Psychic!”

“Go, Venusaur! Sludge Bomb!”

Bit by bit, Espurr immobilized the wild Pokémon, while Venusaur battered them down. Working together, they plowed through the horde with speed and ease, subduing their rampage before things could spiral even more out of control. Only one Pokémon was left standing, and it was none other than the Nidoking – the largest threat of them all! In other words, they were still in extremely deep waters… and now they were about to take another attack in the face!!

“Hurry, Espurr!” screamed Yuri. “Light Screen!!!”

Pounding its fists together, Nidoking ruptured the ground, sending out yet another onslaught of mud explosions onto Yuri and Otabek… only for the attack to hit an invisible, pink-tinted barrier before it could reach them and cause any harm!

“All right!” gasped Otabek. “We survived! Nice job, Yuri, Espurr!”

Yuri grinned back. “The move Nidoking’s using… it’s Earth Power, isn’t it? Who cares if it’s Sheer Force-boosted? It’s still a Special Attack! It’s not going to mean a damn thing once Light Screen’s on the field!”

“Now it’s our turn, Venusaur!” said Otabek. “Sleep Powder!”

_At long last…_ There was a resounding crash as Nidoking fell over, out like a light… for now, at least. Yuri could finally catch his breath. After all that running, after all that panic, after all that _insanity_ … to say that this peace and quiet was a welcome respite was way too much of an understatement. Nidoking’s sleeping face was the very picture of serenity, a far cry from that furious beast from earlier… even so, that did not stop the shiver that ran up Yuri’s spine. For he knew all too well what Nidoking had done and what Nidoking could do; he knew all too well that this battle was far from over. Any moment now, Nidoking would wake up, and the destruction would pick up from where it left off. Until it was safely caught (by him, of course), there was no way he could relax.

His Poké Ball was already at the ready. With Nidoking’s health in the red, topped up with a status condition, how much more perfect could things get? It was now or never…

A few paces away from him, Otabek Altin sported a similarly opportunistic glint in his eyes, a Poké Ball grasped tightly in his hand…

Their eyes met, narrowed. Neither of them said a word, though they knew exactly what the other wanted to convey.

They turned their glances towards the Nidoking…

… and found Nidoking glaring back…?!!!

_Crap! It woke up!!!_ Immediately, Espurr and Venusaur jumped between the two Trainers and the Nidoking, with Espurr focusing entirely on protecting everyone with its Light Screen, with Venusaur poised for another dose of Sleep Powder. But to their astonishment, the Earth Power did not come. Rather, what met them was a brand new move altogether – Thrash! Nidoking swung around and swept its tail onto the two Pokémon, completely bypassing the Light Screen like it was nothing, _because_ it was nothing to this Physical move! One punch onto Espurr, and Espurr was out! A kick onto Venusaur, and Venusaur was a goner! Yuri was stunned beyond belief. All his fears about Nidoking from before, all the worst-case scenarios, they all came true! They all actually came true! That one moment of peace from just now hadn’t been a respite, it was merely the calm before the storm… and the storm was a blizzard and a maelstrom and a freaking hurricane, all at once!

“We need to put an end to this, right now!” said Otabek.

“Like I don’t already know that!” Yuri snapped back. “You know, after the _millionth_ time Nidoking tried to slaughter us today?”

“I meant that literally, Yuri. If we want to capture Nidoking, we need to do it _now_. At once. In these next few minutes. You do know how Thrash works, don’t you?”

Yuri throat went dry as he realized what Otabek was trying to say. Though immensely powerful, Thrash had one main drawback – it caused great fatigue to the user, a surefire lead-in to confusion, which, in turn, came with a chance for the user to hurt itself instead of its opponent. _With how low Nidoking is right now… if we get unlucky… it’s going to kill itself from its confusion before it kills us! Then our dreams of capturing it are over! Then… all our efforts… all our Pokémon’s efforts… they’ll all be in vain!_

“I don’t know about you, Yuri, but I’m not taking any chances!” Otabek dashed forward and threw the Poké Ball in his hand at Nidoking – of course, the Drill Pokémon saw that coming miles away and smacked it away into the distance. Enraged, it thrust a fist right at Otabek, only for him to roll away adeptly at the last second, pull out another Poké Ball from his bag, and toss it towards its head – which it dodged.

“Damn, you suck at this, Otabek!” scoffed Yuri. “Let your future Champion show you how it’s done!” Putting on a burst of speed, Yuri sprinted over to Nidoking, threw his Poké Ball… and missed! Two more times he attempted the capture… and twice in a row he failed! _This… this is way harder than I thought!_ His heart was pounding. The clock was ticking.

“So, you were saying…?”

“Shut up! Like you can do any better!”

“Well, it’s not like we have a choice, do we? This is the only thing we can do… we _must_ do right now!”

Yuri gritted his teeth. _Are you serious? Are we seriously going to keep spamming our Poké Balls haphazardly at Nidoking until one of them connects? But this… this isn’t working out at all!_ Even if they had all day, even if they had an unlimited number of Poké Balls, with how much Nidoking was moving around, with how unpredictable and dangerous its attacks were, their chances of capture were way too slim! How could anyone think about aiming and focusing and all that kind of capture crap, when surviving and getting out of Nidoking’s range was the topmost priority? _And the reality is, we haven’t gotten all day! Time’s running out on us! Before the Thrash wears Nidoking out and the confusion kicks in… there has to be another way for us to capture Nidoking! Another plan…  a better plan! If we could focus Nidoking’s attention… if we could make it stop moving so much –_

Yuri stopped in his tracks. The answer was right in front of him.

It was not an answer he particular liked. No, in fact, he hated it. It was way too stupid for words. Why did his brain even come up with something like it?

Yet… it was an answer nonetheless, so…

He sighed inwardly. _I’m… going to regret this, aren’t I?_ _Otabek… you better thank me later, you asshole!_ “Go, Golisopod!”

“Yuri, what –”

“Hey! Nidoking! Over here!” Yuri taunted. “Come and get us!!!”

Golisopod let out a whirring cry, its claws outstretched in battle position, and Nidoking’s thirst for battle flared to life. It lowered its head and rammed its horn at Golisopod – but the Hard Scale Pokémon, being naturally Physically tanky, was able to soak up the hit just fine with its armor. “Alright, Golisopod, great job!” exclaimed Yuri. “Have a Super Potion!”

Now that Golisopod’s health was back to full, it was able to tank Nidoking’s second hit without Emergency Exit activating – all according to Yuri’s plan! No matter how many times Nidoking attacked henceforth, Golisopod would absorb it and Yuri would heal it up thereafter. That way, the chance of Golisopod fainting was zero. The chance of Nidoking breaking through their defenses and directing its attacks at him and Otabek and everywhere else was zero. Once Nidoking was dead set on bombarding its attacks onto Golisopod and only Golisopod, an undefeatable, unmovable rock, it was in prime position for _someone_ to aim a Poké Ball at it and capture it, once and for all!

“Hurry up and do it, Otabek!” yelled Yuri. “Throw your Poké Ball! This is your opening!”

Shock and disbelief was written all over Otabek’s face. “But what about you?”

“Golisopod, take another Super Potion! Does it look like I’m in any position to make a capture???”

“Then… you’re giving up Nidoking… for me?”

“Well, what else can I do at this point?” said Yuri tersely. “At least one us is going to be happy. That beats none of us, right?”

Otabek took a deep breath and got into position. He stretched out his left arm in the direction of Nidoking’s head, locking onto his target. Pulling back his right arm, he threw his Poké Ball with all his strength… which landed directly atop Nidoking’s horn! Perfect bullseye! Within seconds, the Drill Pokémon was sucked into the Poké Ball. The Ball shook once… twice… thrice… and stopped.

“I did it…” murmured Otabek, blinking incredulously. “I caught the Nidoking.”

“Yeah, you did,” sighed Yuri. “Congrats…” How strange indeed… for some reason, he wasn’t feeling the least bit regretful over his silly decision. In fact, if he wanted to be completely honest with himself…

_Huh… who would’ve guessed… perhaps both of us are going to be happy after all._

\---

 

Peace and quiet returned to the Jaune Plains once more – for real, this time. Sure, the place looked like the aftermath of a trainwreck… but hey, at least it would all grow back again, right? At least they all got out safe and sound. And that, perhaps, was all that mattered.

They gave Victor and Yuuri a ring and within seconds, the two of them and Togekiss came swooping back down onto the ground. “So, it’s over, huh?” Victor asked cheerfully. “How did it go?”

Otabek stretched out his palm, displaying Nidoking’s Poké Ball on it. “I guess it went pretty well.”

Yuuri and Victor exchanged delighted looks. “Oh, wow!” gushed Yuuri. “That’s amazing! Congratulations, Otabek!”

“Congratulations, indeed!” said Victor. “Now you have the power of the king of Jaune Plains at your command! That’s pretty remarkable, if you ask me!”

“Thank you,” said Otabek. “But… if anything, I have Yuri to thank. I don’t think I could’ve done it without his help.”

“Gee, I’m glad you know that!” said Yuri. He threw Otabek a smirk. “Don’t you dare forget it, you hear? And don’t expect such generosity from me the next time we battle! I’ll defeat you for real soon enough, just you wait!”

Otabek looked down at Nidoking’s Poké Ball, and back up at Yuri, and chuckled softly. “Alright, then. I’ll be waiting.”

Yuuri giggled. “I’m not sure what exactly transpired between you two during that battle… but it must have been pretty awesome, don’t you think so, Victor?”

“Yup!” Victor nodded. “No matter who caught the Nidoking in the end, I’m sure that it was a great experience for the both of you… a battle none of you would ever forget! I mean, look at what you’ve turned this place into! Look at all the Poké Balls you spent – ah!”

The Champion bent down and picked up a Poké Ball a few inches away from his feet. “This Poké Ball…! It seems like there’s a Pokémon in it!”

He tossed the Poké Ball into the air… and out popped a Stufful, a pink, cub-like Pokémon with brown legs and white ears. “It’s one of the wild Pokémon living in the Plains!” said Yuri. “One of us must have accidentally caught it when we were randomly throwing Poké Balls around!”

“In that case, why don’t you have it, Yurio?” suggested Victor. “That way, everyone has a prize!”

“Well, if you say so! Welcome to the team, Stufful!”

“ _Fuuul_!”

And with that, Yuri’s adventures in Jaune Plains came to an end.

In the horizon, plain and unobscured, lay Leontine City – their next destination. Who knew what sort of new adventures would await them there?

Well… there was only one way to find out!


	34. Where The Strongest Gather (Part I)

Route 13, on the fringe of Leontine City.

The battle between Yuri Plisetsky and Backpacker Connor was on its final legs.

“Torracat, Fire Fang!”

A dash, a leap, a burst of flames, and that was all she wrote. The sound of Backpacker Connor’s Watchog hitting the ground was like music to his ears. The look of abject disappointment on Connor’s face, a treat for his eyes. The fresh wad of cash in his wallet, just icing on the cake.

It was another ordinary day in the life of Yuri Plisetsky.

“Nicely done, Yurio, Torracat!” said Victor Nikiforov. “Seems like that’s the last Trainer on Route 13… and just in time for dinner, too! Shall we make our way into Leontine City?”

“Wait!” said Yuri. “Let me get Torracat a Poké Puff first, alright? You know it deserves it!” The blonde boy pulled out an orange-flavored deluxe Poké Puff from his bag and tossed it towards his Pokémon, who caught it with its paws and guzzled it down immediately.

“Mrowr!” purred Torracat, licking its lips.

“Looks like someone is satisfied with its treat,” remarked Yuuri Katsuki. He knelt down and stroked Torracat’s head affectionately. “You’ve been putting in quite a bit of good work recently, haven’t you, little guy? Holding your own in the Jaune Town Gym Battle, standing up against a giant Nidoking, and now, the Trainers on Route 13…”

“ _Just_ recently?” said Yuri, crossing his arms huffily. “Torracat has been putting in work ever since the very beginning! I wouldn’t be half of where I am right now if it weren’t for it!” Still, he wasn’t exactly mad at the Elite Four member. After all, it was moments like this that reminded him just how important Torracat was to him as a teammate, as a partner… not that he actually _forgot_ , of course. How could he forget the moment he received Litten’s Poké Ball from Professor Yakov, the very first Poké Ball he could call his own? How could he forget the moment he stood in front of the signboard outside Arethusa Town with Litten, taking their very first steps into Route 1 as Trainer and starter, taking their very first steps towards their goal – how could he _ever_ forget that? Then there was their first major loss against Otabek Altin, their first major win against the Crimson Society Grunts, the Battle Royal, the Gym Battles against Mila, Guang-Hong and all the other Gym Leaders, the hundreds of training sessions with Victor and Yuuri, the thousands of wild Pokémon fights and Trainer battles… just too many moments, too many memories to count. Every up and down, every win and loss, every single second of his journey, Torracat had been there; Torracat had been right by his side. And now…

Right before his eyes, Torracat’s body became engulfed in a dazzling white light, growing brighter and brighter, more and more intense. At the end of it all, what stood in Torracat’s place was a red-and-gray feline Pokémon standing on its own two legs, standing even taller than Yuri himself. It had black stripes on its limbs, tail and torso, a belt made of flames, piercing yellow eyes, and claws sharper than anything Yuri had seen.

How long had he been waiting for this day? How long had been _dreaming_ about this day? And now… here it was. The day when his starter Pokémon evolved into its third and final form, with the significant power spike that came along with it… it was a testament, an _assurance_ , to how strong they had grown from the start, to how far they had come… to how much further they could only go from here!

“Welcome to the team, Incineroar!”

And now… more than ever… the Hall of Fame had never felt closer!

\---

 

Leontine City was nothing like what Yuri had expected.

It was as if someone had thrown a place like, say, Grimmetts City into a time machine and sent it back twenty years into the past. As if the entire city had been left behind and tossed aside, while the rest of the world cruised ahead into the distance with the times. What were probably meant to be skyscrapers failed to live up to their name, with none of the modern glitz and glamor one would usually associate with them, and definitely none of the height. The paint on them was dull and faded, blackened in some places, peeling off in others; hell, Yuri did not even think they had air conditioning in some of those buildings. There were no sparkling new malls, no snazzy attractions… but even so, it was not all that bad. Compared to the other major cities in the region, Leontine City was certainly a breath of fresh air. This work-in-progress, down-to-earth feel, this slightly nostalgic atmosphere, it was what prevented Leontine from becoming yet another cookie-cutter city; it was what gave the place its unique charm!

“What do you guys think?” said Victor. “Pretty neat, huh? It might not look like much on first glance, but trust me, Leonine City is a goldmine of fun activities! First thing’s first, though – dinner! I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that we’re absolutely famished!”

“You don’t speak for me –” said Yuri… and then, as if on cue, his stomach let out a low, loud rumble. It seemed that all that running and battling had worked up quite an appetite! In the midst of all that excitement, he did not even realize how hungry he was… until now, of course.

“Yup, you definitely spoke for all of us,” giggled Yuuri.

“As I thought!” grinned Victor. “But not to worry, for I know the best place in the city for all your gastronomical needs! The best place in the whole of Ibara, in fact!”

“You say that about almost every restaurant we go,” Otabek pointed out.

“Ah, but it’s not a restaurant we’re visiting tonight… you’ll see!” A left turn, a right turn, a trip down a long alley, and when they emerged, Yuri could not believe what he was seeing. The entire street before him was lined with pushcarts, foldable tables, trolleys and temporary stalls, each selling nothing but food, food and more food – all kinds of food beyond anyone’s wildest imaginations! Needless to say, the place was absolutely packed, with people and Pokémon alike jumping from stall to stall with their hands full of eatables, crowding around the tables as they slurped up their meals with much relish, going for seconds and thirds and even fourths… Just the sight of it alone made Yuri’s mouth water.

“Here we are!” exclaimed Victor. “Leontine Food Street! Isn’t it just _perfect_ for dinner?”

“Wow,” smirked Yuri. “Victor Nikiforov, _not_ bringing us to some swanky-ass five-star restaurant? Who would’ve thought that a day like this would come?” Not that there _would_ be five-star restaurants in this city, at least he did not think so, but still…

“Oh, don’t be like that, Yurio! You should’ve realized by now that when it comes to me and my dining preferences, the _quality_ of the food is my number one priority! After so many years of travelling the globe, so many meals in so many different places, if there’s anything I’ve learnt, it’s that a five-star restaurant almost always serves five-star food, yet five-star food doesn’t always have to come from a five-star restaurant! Sure, things like ambience and presentation are indeed important, but there _will_ come a point in time when you just feel like ignoring all that fluff, when your only concern when it comes to your meal is whatever you’re going to be tasting in your mouth – the flavors on your taste buds, the textures against your tongue, every piece, every morsel, every last drop of effort that went into preparing it! And that s when you’ll realize that good food is _good food_ , no matter who makes it, no matter how it looks like, no matter where it comes from! But enough of the talk! It’s time to eat!”

There was so much variety and so many stalls that it was hard for Yuri and the others not to get bogged down by the sheer number of choices. Victor suggested that instead of each of them getting a whole meal for himself like what they usually did, they could each get smaller portions of multiple different meals and share them with everyone. It was the most efficient way of experiencing the most out of the Leontine Food Street and everything it had to offer! “That way, there’s no need to subject ourselves to the cruel, cruel fate of trying only _one_ of the items on this practically _limitless_ menu!” As a result, their table was stacked with plates upon plates of whatever food the four of them could get their hands on – and honestly, Yuri expected nothing less!

The air was musty and sticky, the pervasive sensation of smoke and grease tingling his skin. A million different aromas bombarded his senses at one go from all directions, to the point when he could not distinguish whatever the hell he was smelling any longer. And the noise… it was unstoppable – the clang of utensils, the whirring of machines, the sizzle of oil hitting the pan, the strained voices of stall owners attempting (and failing) to outshout the boisterous crowd… a crowd so squeezy and cramped that merely turning around ran the risk of accidentally elbowing a random stranger in the ribcage. It was definitely a whole new experience for Yuri, yet in spite of that – or perhaps, _because_ of that – it was a dinner he truly enjoyed. It helped that every single dish they bought was delicious to the bones, glorious even, just exploding with taste and flavor. From succulent vegetable skewers to meat that melted in his mouth, from crunchy fritters to crispy croquettes, from piping-hot porridge to stir-fried noodles to freaking _pizza_ … Victor was right; nothing else really mattered at that moment. It was just him, his food and his friends around him… and the noise, the crowd, the heat, and the rest of the world seemed to have all but faded away into the background.

“Now that’s what I call a banquet!” said Victor gleefully. “I hope you guys still have room for dessert!”

It turned out that all of them actually did, so off they went in search of a dessert stall. “Hey! This place looks interesting!” said Yuuri, pointing at a pushcart with a sky blue umbrella. There were cardboard cutouts of Spheal and Sneasel pasted on the front of the cart, happily eating what looked like… snow cones?

“Not snow cones!” said the owner, a chipper young man in a brown apron. Standing on his left and right were a Spheal and a Sneasel respectively – the real deal, not cardboard – each of them wearing a miniaturized chef’s hat. “Here, we sell shaved ice, which is a completely different thing altogether; look it up! Anyway, we’re having a special promotion, and today’s your last chance! If you have three or more Badges, you’re eligible for a Super Special Shaved Ice at the price of a Regular one!”

Yuri retrieved his Badge case from his bag and practically slammed it in front of the owner. “Here’s five of them. How’s that for ‘Super’?”

The owner gasped in astonishment. “Five Badges? Amazing… It’s not every day that we get to meet such a strong Trainer! You’re _more_ than eligible for our promotion!” Reaching into his cart, the owner pulled out a large red paper cup. “Alright, Spheal, Sneasel, you’re up! Spheal, Ice Ball!”

Spheal opened its mouth and let out a cry, causing a round block of ice to form in the air in front of it…

“Now, Sneasel, Fury Swipes!”

Within seconds, the block of ice was diced into paper-thin shards, all of which were expertly caught by the owner in the paper cup. A drizzle of sweet maple syrup, a sprinkle of crushed cookies, and it was complete! “Here you go! One Super Special Shaved Ice! That’ll be ₽500!”

Yuri paid the money and immediately took in a huge mouthful of shaved ice and cookies… fully aware of the three pairs of eager eyes staring at him. A snicker escaped him. “What, are you guys expecting some sort of reaction? Well, too bad, I’m _not_ giving it to you!” He offered the cup to Victor. “Eat it and decide for yourselves!”

“Now, that doesn’t sound suspicious at all,” said the Champion, shoving a spoonful of shaved ice into his mouth anyway. His eyes blinked open. “Huh… Yuuri, Otabek, you guys definitely _need_ to try this!”

Otabek hesitated for a second, before having a go at the shaved ice himself. “It tastes –”

“No!” interrupted Victor, his lips curling into a mischievous grin. “Don’t give it away! Let Yuuri try it first.”

The look on Yuuri’s face was one of dread and resignation. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m being pranked? And why am I still going along with it?”

“Because you’re curious, aren’t you?” winked Victor. He took the cup from Otabek, scooped up a spoonful of shaved ice and dangled it right in front of Yuuri’s mouth. “Doesn’t it _look_ positively delicious? Go on, then! Try it!”

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound suspicious at all, Victor!”

“Oh, what are you, a coward?” said Yuri. “Stop whining and eat the damn thing already!”

“Fine!” Yuuri gulped. “Here goes nothing!” He squeezed his eyes shut, took a bite from the spoon and…

“Wow… this is actually really, really good.”

“It sure is!” said Victor. “Your choice of dessert stall was on point, Yuuri!”

“Then… then… just now… what was that about???”

Yuri, Victor and Otabek burst into laughter.

\---

 

Before long, night fell in the Ibara Region. Yuri and the others started to make their way back to their hotel for some much-needed rest. It had been a long day filled with traveling and adventure, and according to Victor, they still had a whole lot more to explore and do tomorrow! “There’s the Leontine Shopping Complex, which has great discounts on second-hand items… the park up north, the massage house in the northeast, and, if we’re lucky, a round tour of the city on the Gogoat Shuttle! Oh, not to mention, the rest of the Food Street that we didn’t manage to cover today!”

“What about training?” asked Yuri. “I have a Gym Battle to win in Ispahan City!”

“Sure, we can squeeze that into our schedule! In that case, I suggest we sleep early tonight and set off at the crack of dawn tomorrow!”

“Which is?”

“Seven a.m.! Is that alright?”

“Yup!” the other three said unanimously.

“Great! Then let’s finish up our shaved ice and hit the hay!”

Yuri had the honor of the very last bite; after all, it was his Badges that earned them the Super Special Shaved Ice in the first place. He scraped up the final pieces of ice… and that was when he noticed something printed on the bottom of his empty cup. It wasn’t text, like what anyone would expect on a cup. No, not a logo, not a safety warning… rather, it was _bumps_ , tiny round protrusions that anyone would miss unless they really made the effort to look… or, chanced upon it by accident like Yuri did. At first glance, they seemed to be random dots… yet Yuri could not shake off the feeling that there was something odd about them… like there was some kind of _pattern_ to these things… a pattern meant to be _deciphered_ …?

“Is something the matter, Yurio?” asked Yuuri. “You’ve been staring at your cup for a long time.”

“If you’re still hungry, we can always go back tomorrow,” suggested Otabek.

“No, you dumbass!” said Yuri, shoving the cup into Otabek’s hands. “On the bottom, to the right. Don’t you think those dots look… weird?”

Otabek peered into the cup, his eyes slowly widening in shock. “Yuri… those aren’t mere dots. It’s Braille!”

“… Braille?”

“A tactile writing system that dates back to ancient times. Now, it’s been adapted for the blind, as an alternative code for the alphabet. By varying the number and the position of these dots, we can use them to represent different letters and characters, to form words and sentences and texts, just like any other language. What it says here is –”

Yuri’s jaw dropped. “Wait… you can read it???”

Otabek nodded his head.

“Wow, that’s really impressive!” said Victor. “Braille isn’t what I’d call easy or intuitive to pick up. In fact, for people like us who can see, there’s usually little to no reason why we need to learn it at all. For someone to actually commit the whole system to memory…”

“Well… I’ve always been interested in ancient ruins and history…”

“ _That_ interested?”

“… Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Of course not!” said Victor, his blue eyes twinkling. “It’s so rare to find a Trainer with so much passion in that field! Have you been to the Ancient Tomb in Hoenn? What about the Island Cave? What do you think about –”

“Victor!” snapped Yuri. “The cup! Jeez, stop changing the topic, damn it!”

“Right, sorry! Otabek, if you may?”

Otabek took a deep breath and read, “‘This is a special invitation to the Leontine City Underground Tournament, where the strongest gather. Double Battles only. Winner gets one million dollars. 0100 hours, Equinox Building, Main Street, B3F. Don’t miss it!’”

It took them a while to process this new information. “An Underground Tournament… one million dollars…” Yuri turned to Victor. “Have you heard of anything like this?”

Victor shook his head. “No, and I don’t think it’s something that the general public is meant to know either. The fact that the message is concealed in _code_ , on the cups given to Trainers with three or more Badges, like they are _criteria_ that need to be _passed_ –”

“… It’s almost like the organizers didn’t want the quality of their Tournament to be tainted by crappy noobs,” finished Yuri. “They’re seeking only the best of the best!”

“That’s one way to put it,” said Yuuri, giggling nervously.

Yuri’s eyes blazed with excitement. “Let’s enter, then! Let’s all go! Can you imagine the level of competition? Can you imagine the number of _worthy_ opponents! It’s going to be so intense!” _And it’s going to be so damn satisfying crushing them all beneath my feet!_

“Well… to be fair, it does sound like fun,” said Yuuri. “Except –”

“Except?”

“Except… it starts at one, doesn’t it? How long do you think it’ll last? And what time are we supposed to meet tomorrow again?”

“Seven –”

“That’s right! Seven! If we enter the Tournament… we’re not going to have enough sleep!”

“Oh, come on!” groaned Yuri. “Is that what you’re worried about? Sleep? Of all things? Really? Sleep is for the weak!”

“Now that’s where you’re wrong, Yurio!” chided Victor. “Sleep is the most important factor for maintaining a healthy body and mind! Especially for a growing boy like you –”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it! But this Tournament… it’s the perfect opportunity for me and my team to grow stronger – a lot stronger! If we miss this, I know I’m going to regret it! Can’t we just… I don’t know, push back our schedule or something?”

“So that we can sleep in? But then we’ll have to sacrifice at least half a day of activities,” said Victor. “Are you guys willing to do that?”

Silence. It was obvious to Yuri what the other three really wanted.

He heaved a sigh. “Look… if you guys want to go ahead with the original plan, I totally understand. You can sleep all you want, I don’t care! But I’m going to the Tournament no matter what, whether you like it or not! And then I’ll join you in time for breakfast!”

“Yurio!” protested Yuuri. “You’re going to tire yourself out like this!”

“It’s just one night! I’m sure one night of no sleep wouldn’t harm me! I’ll be fine, I swear!”

“Well… alright then! If you say so!”

“Wow, you sure changed your mind quickly,” remarked Otabek.

Yuuri let out a chuckle. “Hey, it’s not like we can actually stop Yurio, once he puts his mind to something! And besides, he has a point! It’s just a night of no sleep. How bad can it get? It’s not like he’s getting himself killed or anything like that. The best thing we can do right now is to trust that he has made the right decision for himself… and that he has the strength to pull through with it!” The Elite Four member placed a hand on Yuri’s shoulder and grinned. “In any case, try to win the million dollars for us, okay? Then treat us to something nice tomorrow!”

“Goes without saying!”

Thus, at eleven forty-five on the dot, Yuri headed out.

Equinox Building… Main Street… B3F… _where the strongest gather._ What awaited him at the Leontine City Underground Tournament… he could not wait to find out!


	35. Where The Strongest Gather (Part II)

At eleven forty-five on the dot, Yuri headed out.

Equinox Building on Main Street was quite the distance away from his hotel… but it was nothing a pair of roller blades could not solve. In the dead of night, the streets were hauntingly quiet, practically empty. The chilly night breeze sent goosebumps up his skin. It seemed that Leontine City did not seem to have much of a nightlife... although he could not really say that, especially not when he knew full well that a super-secret tournament was happening right at this instant, right below his feet! It took him no time at all to get to his destination, a worn down, slightly dated office building amidst an entire street of office buildings. He pushed the door –

It was locked.

_Are you kidding me!?_ Still, to be fair, it made perfect sense for an office building to be locked up at night; not to mention, it would be really lame if the entrance to a super-secret tournament was as plain as the front door itself. That didn’t stop Yuri from being absolutely annoyed as hell, however. He pushed the door again, harder this time, as if all his inner rage and fury could somehow scare it into opening for him – but of course, that did absolutely shit-all, and the door still did not budge an inch. _Well, screw you too!_ he thought indignantly. _You think one locked door can stop me?_ _Like I can’t find another way into this stupid building!_ Turning a left, Yuri skated into the narrow alleyway between the building and one adjacent to it, all the way around to the back – and lo and behold, right beside the trash bins, there was a backdoor. Without a moment’s hesitation, he gave it a push…

… and it opened wide for him!

There, right before his eyes, were the old, galvanized doors of a freight elevator. A smirk tugged at his lips. _Perfect._ Now all he needed was to get down to B3F for the tournament!

\---

 

That was… probably the slowest elevator in the existence of all elevators.

Yuri knew he should have taken the stairs. Not that he found any, but if he had, it probably would have saved him so much time. Hell, even a Shuckle crawling at a fraction of its usual pace would have reached the tournament by now. The tension was killing him. He was getting more and more restless by the moment. What awaited him at the Leontine City Underground Tournament… he could not wait to find out!

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally made it to B3F.

The elevator doors creaked open, and Yuri found himself entering a small, well-lit lobby, surrounded by alabaster walls on all sides. There were no windows or doors, no stairs for that matter, just the elevator behind him and, in front of him… a freaking _tin can_? With a round head, round eyes, a cylindrical body, wrench-like arms and short, stubby legs – okay, so maybe ‘tin can’ wasn’t the best way to describe something like it… _more like… a robot?_ Yuri reached out his hand…

“Bzzt! Welcome to the Leontine City Underground Tournament!” From a speaker on the back of the robot’s head came a loud, mechanical voice, which – completely and utterly – scared the crap out of him!

The boy retracted his hand immediately, his heart mere inches away from bursting out of his chest. “What the hell?!” he shrieked. “Can’t you at least warn me before doing that?”

…

Nothing. No response from the robot at all. _Is… that it? Is that all it can say?_ He stared pointedly down into the robot’s dead eyes, waiting for it to make a move… this lasted a whole five seconds before he ran out of patience and reached out his hand again –

“Bzzt! The rules of this tournament are as follows –”

Yuri practically jumped ten feet into the air. “Oh, come on! You did that on purpose, didn’t you???”

“ – a Doubles tournament, with a single elimination format. You will form a tag team with another randomly selected contestant and do battle against other teams –”

“Hey! Stop ignoring me, you shitty piece of junk!!”

“ – two Pokémon, with a total of four Pokémon on each team. All Pokémon will be set to level 50.”

…

Yuri folded his arms. “Are you done?”

Silence.

“You are an asshole, you know that?”

More silence. Yuri groaned in resignation. It was like talking to a toaster; no, an actual tin can.

A few seconds later, the robot spoke up again. “Bzzt! It is also mandatory for all contestants to use a nickname and a masked disguise at all times in this tournament. Revealing your face or real name will get you automatically disqualified. Please put on your disguise and state your nickname.” Following that, a slot sprung open on the robot’s body like a drawer, revealing a compartment containing a black robe, a black cloak, and a black plastic mask.

“What the –” Flabbergasted could not even begin to describe what Yuri was feeling now. “What is this, a fancy-dress party? Does this rule of yours even have anything to do with battling? Anything at all?” This was just… way too extra for words. First the elevator, then the robot, and now a freaking costume?  This tournament had been nothing but downright weird so far. And it hadn’t even started yet!

… Then again, it probably wouldn’t be a secret underground tournament if it didn’t _at least_ deviate a little from the mainstream.

Yuri donned on his new outfit. The cloak had a cowl and tendril-like pieces of cloth at the ends; the mask covered his entire face but his eyes. Give him a scythe, and he would be the splitting image of the grim reaper… in other words, it was not that bad of a look at all. Perhaps he could actually get used to it. All he needed right now was a nickname, and the first thing that came to his mind was, of course –

“‘Reaper’.” To his surprise, his words came out grating and staticky, a good number of pitches higher than his usual voice. That mask must have come fitted with some sort of voice changer, kind of like the one that the Crimson Admin used back at Hermosa Shrine.

“Bzzt! Do you mean ‘Ripper’?”

“No –” _Wait a second._ “Oh, so now you can hear me?”

“Bzzt! I hear you loud and clear. Do you mean ‘Ripper’?” It was pretty apparent to Yuri by now that the robot could only detect voices modified by the voice changer… which explained every single interaction he had with that thing so far. How _good_ it was at detecting voices though… that was still up for debate. Yuri cleared his throat. “No, it’s ‘Reaper’.”

“Bzzt! Do you mean ‘Ripper’?”

“No, idiot, it’s ‘Reaper’! Reeeeeeaper! Loud and clear my ass!”

“Bzzt! Do you mean ‘Ripper’?”

“… Yeah, sure, why the hell not.”

“Bzzt! Your registration is now complete. We will now enter the battle arena. Your tag team partner will be wearing the same mask color as you. Please locate them as soon as possible. Good luck and have fun!”

“How are we getting there if there aren’t any doors –”

It turned out that Yuri had not needed to worry about that for long, for as soon as the robot finished its sentence, the floor directly beneath his feet opened up like a trapdoor; a moment later, he was tumbling down to the level below…

… right onto a pile of spongy pillows, fortunately for him. “Okay, what the actual hell?!” he yelled, glaring at the small, rectangular-shaped hole on the ceiling above him. “Can’t you at least warn me before doing that?”

Even more silence. Except that he knew for a fact this time round that the robot could _totally_ hear him, and that it was definitely, a hundred percent ignoring him on purpose! Yuri made a vow. The next time he saw that thing, he was going to _dismantle_ it.

_Well… I guess this is their battle arena, huh?_

It was an enormous hall, a hall the size of four battlefields. In fact, there were four actual battlefields in it – raised rectangular platforms with the standard arena layout, complete with glass barriers that reached above the head. At the front of the hall, plastered on the wall, was a gigantic display screen, currently blank. And gathered below the screen, were none other than the contestants themselves – thirty or so of them, in various silly outfits. The _competition_.

Yuri recognized none of them. There was no way he could, not with those masks covering their faces. Sure, maybe he could sort of tell their age and gender, but what good was that information? He wouldn’t know whether they were rookies or veterans, whether they were Battle Girls, Campers, or Dragon Tamers, what kinds of Pokémon they used, what kinds of battle styles they favored, whether he had fought them somewhere before, whether he recognized any of them on television or anything. _Guess that’s the whole point of concealing our identities_ , he thought to himself. _With absolutely zero knowledge on our opponents, everyone is forced to treat everyone else as equals. Everyone is forced to start off on the same foot. There’s no way anyone could’ve prepared for this tournament beforehand… no way any of us could’ve gotten any form of advantage._

Well, either that, or that the whole disguise thing was just a fun gimmick to spruce up the event. He had to admit – it did make a secret tournament feel even more secret.

Pushing himself up from the pillow pile, Yuri walked towards the crowd. According to that robot, he was supposed to find his tag team partner among them… someone with a black mask…

“Hey, you there.”

A tap on the shoulder… and it turned out to be a taller man dressed in full pirate’s garb – a bicorne hat, tall boots, velvet gloves, and a captain’s coat draped over his shoulders, like a cape. Covering his face was none other than a black mask. “Looks like we’re partners. Nice to meet you. Call me Crow. You are?”

“Ripper.”

“Ripper, huh?” A chuckle. “Sounds dangerous! I do sincerely hope that you have the skills to back it up, though. There’s only so much carrying I can do for the both of us.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that!” said Yuri, grinning smugly under his mask. “As if I’ll let myself be carried by you! In fact, _I’m_ the one who’s going to be carrying _your_ heavy ass all the way to first place!”

“Wow, really? You’ll do that? Thanks in advance, then! Easiest tournament of my life! Now, if only they serve popcorn here… by the way, try not to drag things out too long, alright? And try to use a different Pokémon for each fight! Don’t want this to be a total snoozefest, do we?”                                                             

“Hey! What do you take me for, your slave??”

“Slave?” laughed Crow. “Oh, no! No! You’re doing me a _favor_. It’s always a great joy to help others in need, isn’t it? And I’m desperately in need of that million dollars. Not to mention, you were the one who made that suggestion in the first place! Are you going back on your word now, hmm? Won’t you lend a hand to poor old me?”

Yuri opened his mouth but his voice was stuck in his throat. When his words had been completely twisted and turned on their heads, what else could he say? He totally played himself this time round.

Crow laughed even harder. “Oh, it’s so hilarious seeing you get all huffed up like that! Perhaps I should do that more often. But, in all seriousness, I like you. You seem like a decent battler, at least. I think we’re going to get along just fine. If first place is what you’re aiming at, it’s not too big a stretch for us to get there. As long as we play our cards right and work as a team, I think we pretty much have this in the bag!”

“You sound awfully certain.”

“That’s because I am.” said Crow, adjusting his gloves. “I’m strong, you know? Stronger than you think. I don’t believe for a single moment that there’s anyone in this room who can even come close in defeating me in a one-on-one. Still, because this is a Doubles tournament…”

“… there’s only so much carrying you can do for the both of us,” finished Yuri, rolling his eyes. “Which is why you need my skills to back you up, is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“Well, what do you know? Looks like we’ve come full circle!”

There was so much else Yuri could say to his tag team partner in response to his audacious claims… so much he could refute, so much he could protest. _Me? Play backup? Who are you to decide that, huh?_ _You don’t know me, Crow! You don’t know what my Pokémon and I are capable of! Hell, I bet you don’t even know the identity of any of these contestants in the tournament!_ _How can you be so damn certain you’re stronger than us, huh? Is your head that far up your own ass?_

_Well, to be fair, it’s not like we aren’t guilty of doing the same,_ Yuri’s voice of reason pointed out. _All that talk about defeating everyone in the way and becoming the future Champion, plus a couple of hundred more other times…_

_Huh… I guess it’s different being at the receiving end_ , Yuri realized _._ Was that what Victor and the others have been dealing with all this time?

Yet… that did not exactly seem like a typical brag by a typical overconfident Trainer. No… there was something else about that man… something _more_ , something about the way he spoke. Perhaps it was the cold, mechanical voice of the voice changer that gave him this impression, perhaps it was the sheer absurdity of his words, but… Yuri had a feeling that his partner might actually be telling the truth – no, stating the _facts_. It was not a false show of bravado. Not an attempt to blow his horn. Rather, it was the unwavering confidence of a Trainer who knew that he actually had something to be confident about, a Trainer who had irrefutable, undeniable proof to his strength.

Who was Crow exactly, where did he hail from, and just how powerful a Trainer was he?

Yuri had a sinking suspicion that he would never, ever find out. _Thanks, tournament rules!_

They spent the rest of the time they had going through strategies, as well as the possible combinations their Pokémon could use. Crow had a thing for Dark-types, which came as no surprise to Yuri – it was the perfect match to his suaveness and his impish, provocative charisma. How well his Pokémon would _synergize_ with Yuri’s though… that was still a question that needed an answer.

“We can’t just rely on our individual Pokémon’s strength in Double battles,” Crow had said. “That might have worked out for you in your previous fights against weaker teams, but on a higher, more competitive level like this one, it isn’t going to get us far.”

Yuri had witnessed team synergy in action many a time in Single battles, but when it came to Doubles, he knew that it was a whole new ballgame altogether. With two battlers on the field, it became not just a matter of synergizing with the other Pokémon on the bench, it was also about how the two Pokémon on the field could complement each other. Pokémon Abilities, type compatibility, multi-target moves, Doubles-exclusive moves… all those were factors that needed to be considered – and utilized to their fullest potential. It sounded pretty complicated, but if there was anyone who could get the hang of it, it would be Yuri and his Pokémon, no questions asked!

“Bzzt! Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please! The Round of Sixteen of the Leontine City Underground Tournament will now begin!”

\---

 

Flashed upon the display screen at the front of the hall was the tournament bracket, large and clear for all to see. It was a simple and straightforward tourney. Thirty-two Trainers. Sixteen teams. Four rounds. One winning pair.

The Round of Sixteen was split into two parts, with each part consisting of four battles happening simultaneously at each of the four arenas. “Oh hey, we’re up first,” said Crow. “Guess it’s time for us to wreck some faces and take some names! They’ll never know what hit them!”

Yuri cracked his knuckles. “Took the words right out from my mouth!”

They entered their assigned battlefield and took their places. On the opposite side of the field stood none other than their opponents – a woman dressed as a salsa dancer and a man dressed as a clown, both of them wearing green masks on their faces.

And in the middle of the battlefield stood a robot – a round head, round eyes, a cylindrical body, wrench-like arms and short, stubby legs. “Bzzt! Welcome to Arena D!”

“It’s you!” snarled Yuri. “You’re not getting away with what you did to me just now!”

“Bzzt! You must be mistaken, contestant. We have not met prior to this. I am Unit 9076. I am the referee for your match. The one whom you are referring to must be my fellow machine at the lobby, Unit 9071.”  
  
“There’s over nine thousand of these things!? Is this place run entirely by robots or something?”

“What’s the matter kiddo?” teased Crow. “Are you scared? There’s no need to be scared! Remember what I told you? Machines aren’t going to drive us to extinction and take over the world! There’s always a person programming them behind the scenes! It’s all just a bad dream!”

“What the – I’m not scared!” Yuri retorted. “I just wanted to get a clearer idea of how many of these things I need to dismantle, that’s all!”

“Woah, chill!” said Crow, feigning horror. “Dismantle? What did that poor little robot and its innocent friends do to offend you? Then again, knowing you, it probably isn’t much –”

“Oh, you want a list?” interjected Yuri. “I’ll give you a list! First and foremost, it screwed up my nickname! I’m supposed to be ‘Reaper’, damn it! It’s supposed to match my costume!”

“It’s doing you a service! ‘Ripper’ is a so much better nickname, in my opinion!”

“It made me fall through a trapdoor to get here!”

“I know! And wasn’t that the best thing ever? Your reaction was _hilarious_! Totally made my night!”

Yuri shot Crow a glare. “One more word and I dismantle you too, how about that?”

“Well, you can _try_!”

Meanwhile, the green team was starting to get impatient. “Are you guys done with the chitchat?” the clown hollered across the field. “Can we start the battle already?”

“Oh look, there’s a man who can’t wait to lose,” chuckled Crow. “Let’s not deny him that pleasure any longer, shall we, Ripper? At your signal, robot!”

“Bzzt! The Round of Sixteen battle between Xtreme and L.O.L., and Crow and Ripper, will now begin! Starting in three… two… one –”

“Go, Golisopod!” shouted Yuri.

“Go, Honchkrow!” shouted Crow.

“Go, Tangrowth!"

“Go, Conkeldurr!”

“Golisopod, First Impression onto Tangrowth!”

It was a total no-brainer. The strongest priority move right off the bat, a Bug-type attack against a Grass-type, it was the best matchup Yuri could ever hope for! Golisopod pounced towards Tangrowth, its claws sharp and menacing –

“Not so fast!” shouted the Trainer in the salsa dress (otherwise known as Xtreme). “Switch out, Tangrowth! Go, Diggersby!”

It was not the super-effective STAB opening that Yuri wanted, but it was good enough. First Impression took Diggersby to a little less than half its health; in other words, one more move next turn would be more than enough to take care of it!

“Honchkrow, Brave Bird onto Conkeldurr!”

The dark-blue Big Boss Pokémon shot up into the air and dove back down again, a high-speed flaming missile homing in directly at the Conkeldurr – the Conkeldurr who had no time at all to react to its impending doom! With a rush of feathers, Honchkrow slammed into Conkeldurr with the full impact of the dive, knocking it out instantly.

“No!” cried Xtreme and L.O.L. in unison.

“Yessss!” cheered Yuri. “One down!”

“I told you we aren’t going to deny you this pleasure,” said Crow, gazing proudly at his handiwork. “Now who’s next?”

“Oh, you’ll regret this! Go, Barbaracle!” L.O.L.’s second Pokémon had gray rocks for a body, complete with four striped, orange arms.

“Diggersby, Return onto Honchkrow!” commanded Xtreme. It was a solid Normal-type STAB move, and a pretty overwhelming barrage of punches from Diggersby. By the time it was finished, Honchkrow had only a third of its health left.

“Time to finish this!” L.O.L. exclaimed. “Barbaracle! Rock Slide onto Honchkrow _and_ Golisopod!”

“Hmm?” chuckled Crow. “Going for the double super-effective hit? Do you really think I’m going to let that happen? Honchkrow, Superpower onto Barbaracle!”

Taking to the skies once more, the Big Boss Pokémon amassed a gigantic ball of energy and launched it straight at Barbaracle – and just like that, Barbaracle was done for. “Another one-hit K.O.!” gasped Yuri. “That’s the work of Moxie, isn’t it? Whenever Honchkrow deals a finishing blow, its Attack is boosted by a stage!”

“Exactly!” replied Crow. “If it weren’t for that Ability, Barbaracle probably would’ve survived. And we probably would’ve been dead. Luckily for us, my Honchkrow is just that _awesome_! Now, Ripper –”

“It’s my turn! Golisopod, Liquidation onto Diggersby!”

At once, Golisopod surrounded itself with gushing water and rammed into Diggersby with all its might, driving it into the ground. The Digging Pokémon stood no chance at all. It fainted immediately.

There was nothing but stunned silence on the opposite side of the field.

“What’s the matter?” taunted Yuri. “Bring out Tangrowth! We haven’t got all night, you know!”

“Or, you could just surrender,” shrugged Ripper. “After all, we already know how this one ends, don’t we?”

…

“We surrender,” sighed Xtreme. “Well played.”

Yuri could not believe what he was hearing. His heart was singing. A surrender – and the very first time an opponent surrendered to him in battle at that! Talk about an overwhelming victory!

“Bzzt! The Round of Sixteen battle between Xtreme and L.O.L., and Crow and Ripper ends in a victory for Crow and Ripper! Crow and Ripper will be proceeding to the Round of Eight. As for the other two… I will now show you the exit.”

And as soon as it finished saying that, the floor directly beneath Xtreme and L.O.L opened up like a trapdoor; a split second later, they had disappeared to the level below!

_Huh… I guess it’s different not being at the receiving end_. The blonde boy could not help but let out a small giggle.

Needless to say, that did not escape Crow’s notice. “See? What did I tell you? Best thing ever, am I right?”

Yuri threw up his hands. “Fine! You win! Still… it could at least warn them before doing that!”

“But that would suck out all the _fun_ , wouldn’t it?” Crow replied gleefully. “Well, I guess this is going to be a recurring thing, huh?”

“All the more we can’t lose then!” said Yuri. “Come on! Let’s get ready for our next round!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I had to rewrite Crow a couple of times. He's not exactly an easy personality to nail down... this is probably my tenth version of him or something. Even Yurio... he started off pretty straightforward and easy to write, but as the story progresses, I find that it gets harder to write him in a way that portrays his growth. Sometimes I find myself wondering whether he even changed for the better at all since the beginning, but at the same time, I can't exactly change him too much, otherwise it wouldn't feel subtle and realistic, would it? Or maybe it's just that I'm not too good at writing characters yet. If you're still reading this story, even after so many chapters, even after so many blunders, you have my eternal gratitude... but you know that already, right? <3 Also, please leave a comment if you can! I'd really love to know what you think about... well, everything! It feels too quiet here at times haha


	36. Where The Strongest Gather (Part III)

There was a spring in Yuri’s steps as he exited the battlefield in the aftermath of his Round of Sixteen victory. “Too easy!” he exclaimed. “I’ve seen brats in Trainers’ School putting up a better fight than this!”

“Well, that’s what you get when you’re paired up with me,” said Crow. “You might want to get used to it.”

“Yeah right, continue thinking that!” snapped Yuri. “Seriously though, are all our battles going to be one-sided stomps? For a tournament that claims to only invite the best, it sure isn’t living up to my expectations so far.”  
  
“Maybe we’re just that good! Or maybe our opponents were just nervous, you know? Think about it! With this whole ‘hidden identity’ gimmick, with the knowledge that everyone around you is of a certain standard, that every Trainer in the competition is vying tooth and nail for a single million-dollar prize, that one tiny slip-up could put an end to your run and all your hopes and dreams… it’s really not all that surprising that promising Trainers choke and underperform. There are just too many unknowns, too many uncertainties. It’s not exactly a comfortable environment to be in. And when this uncertainty clouds their mind, it causes their imagination to run amok. It causes them to _overthink_. Thinking they’re on the losing end in a tournament where everyone begins on the same foot, treading way more cautiously than they need to, doubting their every decision, doubting even their own _Pokémon_ … those were mistakes that should have never been made in the first place.”

“And man did we take advantage of that!” gushed Yuri. “We totally obliterated our opponents with our all-out attacks! I bet we crushed them so hard that they’ll feel it in the morning when they wake up!”

“Ironic, isn’t it? They tried so hard, way too hard not to fail, but that sort of mentality was precisely what caused their downfall in the very end! Fortunately for us, you didn’t let the pressure get to your head, did you, Ripper? You didn’t go into that battle overly obsessing about winning at all costs, or stressing out about the million scenarios in which things could potentially go wrong…” The pirate let out a chuckle. “Consider me impressed!”

“What’s so funny?”

“Ah… it’s nothing. I’m just… really glad you’re on my team, that’s all! You should be honored!”

 _Well, would you look at that. That insufferable son of a bastard can actually be nice if he wants to! Who would have thought?_ Yuri could not help but smile under his mask. “Eh… I can say the same thing about you too, you know.”

“Aww, thank you! That’s so nice of you! To think that beneath that spooky grim reaper costume lies a total sweetheart!”

 “God! Do you seriously have to make things even cheesier than they already are? Do you want to get dismantled so badly?”

Crow laughed even harder. “Oh, as always, you’re so hilarious when you’re all huffed up like that! Good news for you though, we should expect things to get way harder from here on out. This Round of Sixteen was nothing more than a warm-up! Once our opponents start getting into the groove of things, once they get over their initial barrier of fear, there’s no question of them bringing their all to the field. And when that happens, mindset alone just won’t cut it anymore, do you understand? The real tournament starts from here on out!”

“Good! There’s nothing I want more than that!”

In the meantime, however, all they could do was watch as the tournament progressed to the second half of the Round of Sixteen. Not that it was a bad thing – after all, nothing could be more important than gathering as much intel on their future opponents as they could! Taking their place in Arena D were the red team and the gold team, and immediately, Yuri’s attention was drawn to the young woman on red – the only female Trainer in the arena. With a top hat, a minidress, a tuxedo coat and high heel boots, she resembled a magician… yet that was not all that stood out to him. It was her _vibe_. She stood tall, proud and silent, her hands on her hips, her head slightly upturned, as if she was looking down on everyone else on the field – no, everyone else in the tournament, _as if she thinks she’s a hundred percent going to win the whole entire thing…_

_Yeah, in your dreams, sucker! That isn’t ever going to happen in real life! Not when Crow and I are in it!_

“Seems like she caught your eye too, huh?” remarked Crow. “According to the tournament bracket, she goes by the single letter ‘W’… ‘W’ for ‘winner’, perhaps?”

“Not for long!” said Yuri. “When it’s our turn to face them, I’m going to rip her stupid arrogance into shreds! I’m going to turn that ‘W’ on its head into an ‘L’!”

“That would be an ‘M’, would it not? You could’ve said that you’re going to ‘murder’ her team or something along those lines, but no! Apparently, someone forgot his alphabet! Your teachers must be so disappointed.”

“That’s not what I – you know jolly well what I meant!”

“Do I?”

“Yes! You do!”

Crow raised his hands up in surrender. “Well, if you insist! In all seriousness though, I’m really curious to see if you’ll make good of your word. Not the turning the ‘W’ on its head part; that’s pretty much a given, but the other part. The part where you said you’re going to destroy her arrogance… or however you put it.”

“What, like it’s hard?” scoffed Yuri. “Did you forget how we absolutely wrecked the green team? I’m sure we can do the same to her too!”

“But the guys on the green team weren’t even at all confident in the first place! If they truly are, then…”

“Then…?”

“Well,” shrugged Crow. “I’d go on with an explanation, but it looks like now’s not the right time! The battle’s about to start and I don’t want to miss a thing! Plus, a topic like that might be way over your head! I don’t want to risk your brain imploding upon itself… at least, not while this tournament is on!”

“Hey! I’m not –”

“Case in point: the alphabet.”

Yuri took a deep, calming breath. And to think that his partner was starting to become at least a little tolerable! He made a vow. The next time Crow tried to troll him, he was going to _really_ dismantle him… however that worked.

\---

 

It was to no surprise that the red team won – thoroughly and convincingly. The combined attacks of W’s Jellicent and Rojo’s Vaporeon was just too much for their opponents to take. A single Surf from Vaporeon and _both_ opponent Pokémon were taken down to half health. All that was left was another Surf from Jellicent to clean up, and just like that, it was two Pokémon out of the way and two more to go – another two more victims easily dispatched by Surf, then Surf. There was absolutely nothing the gold team could do. Their Pokémon were dead before they even got a chance to move! It was a battle even more one-sided than Yuri’s own!

The boy could hardly contain his excitement. _Now, that’s more like it!_ That sort of execution… that sort of overwhelming prowess… it could very well rival a Gym Leader’s. If he and Crow could go toe to toe against them, if he and Crow could take down their combination… what could stop them from taking home that million dollars? What else could stand in their way?

“Come on, Ripper, we’re up!”

The Round of Eight match against the silver team was a fair bit tougher than their previous one, but it was nothing Luxio and Honchkrow could not handle. With Luxio’s Intimidate and Thunder Wave to cripple their opponents and limit their offensive abilities, Honchkrow could safely dish out as many STAB Brave Bird attacks as it wanted, without worrying about getting its health way too low for comfort. And with that victory… Yuri and Crow secured themselves a spot in the semifinals.

“Oh, hey, they just updated the tournament bracket,” said Crow. “Guess which team we’re up against?”

“Red…?”

“Ding-ding-ding! That’s absolutely correct! Wow, you must be a psychic or something!”

“Or… I just looked at the screen? You know, the huge-ass screen right in front of your face?”

“Yeah, I know! I’m just messing with you! But… enough of that. Let’s talk our strategy! Against a team like them, we can…”

Before long, it was finally time for the semifinal matches to begin – two battles occurring concurrently in two separate battlefields, with two out of the four remaining teams emerging as finalists. “Once we win this battle, we’re home free,” said Crow. He raised a palm. “Let’s do our best!”

Yuri gave the palm a light punch with his fist. “Right!”

“Clearly, I was going for the high five!”  
  
“I know! I’m just messing with you.”

Standing directly opposite them were none other than the team of W and Rojo, the magician and her pet zombie. “I’m really looking forward to our match!” W said cheerfully. For someone who seemed so cocky, that was a surprisingly cordial greeting… or was that supposed to be patronizing? “No matter the result, let’s all have a fun time, shall we?”

“Oh, that’s a given,” Crow replied, flipping his cloak. “Of course, may the best team win.”

“Bzzt! The semifinal battle between W and Rojo, and Crow and Ripper, will now begin! Starting in three… two… one –”

“Go, Stufful!”

“Go, Pangoro!”

“Go, Jellicent!”

“Go, Vaporeon!”

And there it was yet again, the infamous Jellicent-Vaporeon tag team, just as they had expected! It had worked scarily well in the Round of Sixteen, it had presumably worked against their Round of Eight opponents as well, and there was really no reason why W and Rojo wouldn’t stick with it till the end. Unfortunately for them, Yuri had just the answer to it! “Stufful! Wide Guard!”

With a determined growl, Stufful pounded its paws heavily on the ground – and immediately, a long wall of rocks erected in front of Stufful and Pangoro, a protective barricade between them and their opponents. Rojo ordered a Surf from Vaporeon, but the attack just could not connect! No matter how many torrential waves Vaporeon sent forth, the wall blocked every single one of them, with no signs of toppling or budging; as a result, Stufful and Pangoro took no damage at all!

“No way!” gasped W.

“Nice work, Stufful!” cheered Yuri. “How’s that for a battle debut?” With moves that targeted multiple enemies like Surf and Dazzling Gleam running rampant in Double Battles, all a Pokémon needed to do was to come equipped with Wide Guard – the Protect of wide-ranging attacks! Now, for the next Surf…

“Jellicent, Scald onto Pangoro!” commanded W.

… or not? The pink jellyfish-like Pokémon pushed itself into the air with its tentacles, took aim at Pangoro, and launched a blast of steaming-hot water directly onto it, completely bypassing the wall’s entire existence! “Looks like Wide Guard is absolutely useless against single-target moves!” said Yuri. “Did she predict our use of it or –”

“I think she’s wary of Pangoro’s massive damage potential,” said Crow. “She knows that Pangoro’s not going to fall from just two Surf attacks alone, and she doesn’t want Jellicent to take a counter super-effective Dark-type attack. The Burn from Scald would greatly ease the pressure onto Jellicent – but unfortunately for them, that didn’t happen! Now it’s our turn! Pangoro, Earthquake!”

The ground beneath them began cracking and shaking vigorously, and both Jellicent and Vaporeon were taken to three-fifths of their health – pretty decent damage considering how innately tanky both of them were. And thanks to Wide Guard, Stufful managed to survive through it without taking a single bit of damage – simply by hopping onto the wall while all the action was happening to the ground. “Big deal!” commented W. “So what if you managed to live through your first turn? Like Protect, Wide Guard fails when used in succession! Your wall’s not going to hold up for long – and that’s when we strike!”

“Vaporeon, Surf, again!” ordered Rojo.

This time round, the waves that crashed into the wall took it down in a flash, sending rocks and gravel flying everywhere. They washed over Stufful and Pangoro, drowning them, crushing them, taking Stufful’s health to red and Pangoro’s health to a little more than half. As for Jellicent… it seemed to have recovered some of its health after the Earthquake just now? It hit Yuri. _Of course… Water Absorb!_ Yuri had not really noticed it back then, since both Vaporeon and Jellicent had always been at full health, and the Ability did not really come into play, but it could not be denied that it was an important part of their combination. In typical Double Battle cases, Surf was a move that hurt everyone on the field, barring the user – even its ally was not spared. Whereas in the case of Vaporeon and Jellicent, not only would they take no damage from each other’s Surf, they would also receive a heal once their health took a hit. For a single move to come packed with both offense and sustain… no wonder they managed to utterly trounce their opponents all the way to the semis!

“Now, Jellicent!” said W. “Will-O-Wisp! Burn that damned Pangoro!”

But Pangoro was totally ready for the attack, and it rolled out of the way of those ghastly balls of flames in the nick of time, much to W’s frustration. “You had one job Jellicent,” taunted Crow. “I gave you a chance, and you blew it! And now it’s time for you to face the consequences! Pangoro, Hammer Arm… onto Vaporeon!”

Pangoro’s arms became shrouded with a white glow, growing to three times its usual size; it raised them above its head… and the next thing Vaporeon knew, two gigantic fists of burning energy came slamming down onto it, pummeling it into the floorboards, fainting it before it could react! With STAB, with Pangoro’s sky-high Attack stat and its Iron Fist Ability to boost the power of punching moves, there was no way Vaporeon survived this. It was pure, unadulterated offensive firepower!

“No, Vaporeon!” cried Rojo.

“D-damn you!” sputtered W. “You’re going to pay for this! It doesn’t matter if you broke our combination! That isn’t all we got, you know! We still have many tricks up our sleeves! Don’t think you’ve won yet!”

“Don’t tell me what to do, asshole!” retorted Yuri. “Stufful, Thunder Punch onto Jellicent!”

The Flailing Pokémon raised a lightning-imbued paw and slammed it with all its might onto Jellicent, taking it down to below half health. “Now, one more hit and your Jellicent’s toast!”

“Oh, we’ll see about that!”

The second phase of the battle was about to unfold. Rojo sent out his second Pokémon – a Clawitzer, a blue-and-black shrimp-like Water-type Pokémon with a massive claw. W took this opportunity to order a Recover from Jellicent, restoring it back up to almost full health.

“Clawitzer, Water Pulse onto Stufful!” commanded Rojo. From the Howitzer Pokémon’s claw came a never-ending pulsating blast of water striking Stufful squarely in its body, taking out the remaining of its health.

“Let’s make this a one-for-one, shall we, Pangoro?” said Crow. “Crunch onto Jellicent!”

Pangoro lunged forward, latched onto Jellicent and tore at its pink skin with its teeth – but in an unfortunate turn of events, despite the STAB, despite the super-effectiveness, Jellicent actually survived the attack… by the skin of its teeth! “Ha! Is that all you've got?” sneered W. “How pathetic! Jellicent, Recover, once more!”

And once again, Jellicent health was all topped up – albeit to a little more than half this time. “Are we _ever_ going to kill that thing?” Yuri complained. “Maybe we should’ve taken it out first, instead of Vaporeon, huh?”

“No,” Crow replied. “In a Double Battle, we should, in ideal scenarios, always go for the main attacking threat. Back then, Vaporeon had a higher Special Attack stat than Jellicent. If we hadn’t killed it, who knows what sort of pain and suffering it would rain down on us? No matter how annoying Jellicent is, our Pokémon can definitely deal better against it than they can against a Vaporeon. And right now, our main threat here is Clawitzer. Its Mega Launcher Ability should not be taken lightly. Water Pulse, Dark Pulse, even Dragon Pulse, anything with ‘Pulse’ in it gets a huge power up! You saw what it did to Stufful! Our priority right now is to focus it down before it can cause any more casualties!”

“Got it!” said Yuri, tossing a Poké Ball into the air. “Go, Luxio! Wild Charge onto Clawitzer!”

Luxio’s attack took Clawitzer down to a third of its health. “Now, Crow, Pangoro! Finish it!”

“With pleasure! Pangoro –”

“Think again!” exclaimed Rojo. “Clawitzer, Water Pulse onto Pangoro!”

It was Stufful’s fate all over again. Even with Pangoro’s decent defenses, even with Pangoro at decent health, even as Pangoro tried its damndest to stand its ground, Water Pulse was able take it down, scoring yet another kill for the red team. “Damn it!” said Yuri. “You were right about that Mega Launcher!”

“Hey, it’s not like I wasn’t prepared for this,” said Crow, unfazed, recalling Pangoro back into its Ultra Ball. “I wasn’t actually expecting Pangoro to be faster than Clawitzer you know, especially after the Speed drop from Hammer Arm. But hey, if they think they can outspeed us for the entirety of this match…  boy do I have bad news for them! Go, Honchkrow! Night Slash onto Clawitzer!”

If Pangoro was a lumbering powerhouse, Honchkrow was exactly the opposite; swift and decisive, it struck its razor-sharp talons directly at Clawitzer’s soft, fragile body, tendrils of darkness oozing out from the resultant gaping wound. “Looks like we’re back in the game!” said Crow.

“That’s nothing!!” was W’s response. “Nothing at all! You think this can end us? Think again! Jellicent, Scald onto Luxio!”

This time, the boiling hot water ended up all over Luxio instead – and to add salt to the wound, Luxio was inflicted with a Burn! Yuri gritted his teeth. He was hoping for this next Wild Charge to end Jellicent once and for all, but it seemed like that was not happening. Although Luxio tried its very hardest, there was just no way that it could give its all into its attack, not with the searing pain running through its entire body. Its sparks could only flicker weakly. Its speed was half of what it was at maximum power. In the end, Jellicent was left alive with critical health, and with the recoil from Wild Charge _plus_ the burn damage, Luxio was not looking too good either.

“It’s alright, Luxio!” said Yuri. “You did your best! Let’s leave it to Honchkrow to end it!”

“Go ahead!” yelled W. “End Jellicent! You know you want to! But your Luxio’s days are numbered! And I still have my ace, my trump card! In the end, _we’re_ going to be the one to advance to the finals, not you! There’s no way I can lose! Not here! Not this tournament!”

“Yeah, continue thinking that,” said Crow. “But instead of me dealing the final blow… Honchkrow, Tailwind! Call it ‘preparation for the future’! Whatever comes out of your last Poké Ball, this guarantees that _both_ our Pokémon outspeed it and burst it down with our attacks combined! Before that, though…”

“Luxio, Thunder Fang onto Jellicent!”

And… Jellicent was a goner. And with that, it was a two-versus-one, with Tailwind on their side. It was a really close fight, but at this point of time, it was pretty much over.

“No…” stammered W. “No way… It’s… it’s not possible! How did I… no, I can’t lose! I can’t! You guys… screw you guys!!! Go, Lapras! Ice Shard onto Luxio!”

A priority move to bypass Tailwind, a last-ditch effort from the red team. It managed to take out Luxio, but Crow followed up with a Superpower onto Lapras, bringing it to a third of its health. W ordered a second Ice Shard from Lapras onto Honchkrow, but despite the STAB, the super-effectiveness, the fact that Honchkrow’s defenses were weakened from Superpower, it was ultimately not quite enough to wipe out all of its health. A final Superpower from Honchkrow, and that was the end of Lapras – and the battle.

“It’s not over!” shrieked W, as Rojo tried to calm her down. “I’m not done yet! I’ll get you! I’ll get my revenge! I’ll – ahh!”

And down, down the hole they went.

…

“Hey, Crow!”

“Hmm?”

“She doesn’t look that confident to you now, does she? I told you I’m going to rip it all into shreds! I told you so! And here’s your proof!”

“If it can be destroyed so easily, it’s not real confidence to begin with,” said Crow solemnly.

“Oh, come on! Now you’re just making excuses!”

“No, Ripper, I’m pretty damn sure I’m not. Tell me if that wasn’t what happened just now – that Trainer W… once she realized that she was going to _lose_ the match, her whole arrogant act – her whole façade – instantly crumbled. Her sureness about herself and her abilities, her belief in her own strength, everything just crumbled into dust! Her confidence was way too reliant on her wins, on her superiority over others…”

“So what?” Yuri argued. “How isn’t that real confidence? Knowing that you’re good enough to win whatever battle that comes your way… knowing that you’re better than anyone can be, than you can ever be – and with reality to prove it! Isn’t that like, the epitome of what a confident Trainer should be? Hell, isn’t that the reason why _you’re_ the way you are? And if your confidence happens to crumble, as you put it, that’s because it _should_! That’s because it’s supposed to! It shows that you’re simply not as strong as you think you are… that you have absolutely no reason to think that you’re strong! Which is why I… why we strive so hard to win, to carve a name for ourselves… why we all want to be the best, no? It’s so that no one can break us, even if they try… it’s so that we have _reason_ to believe in ourselves!”

“You’re mistaken, Ripper,” said Crow, his voice unwavering. “That’s not why I’m the way I am. Sure, it’s important to be aware of your current limits and abilities; to pride yourself on them – it’s definitely a step above those who are so unsure of themselves that they can’t even realize how much potential they have, even when it’s staring them right in the face! But I don’t think that should be the only source of your confidence. You can’t just base your entire self-esteem and self-worth on what’s manifested to you in real life… what can be seen… numbers on a paper! For the truth is – you’re not going to win all the time! You’re not going to be the best at everything! You’re not going to reign at the top forever! No matter how good you think you already are, someone better is always going to come along and defeat you one day – that’s just the way reality works! But does that mean that you can’t ever be truly confident in yourself? That you can’t be content with everything you have accomplished? That you can’t be at peace with who you are? I don’t think anyone could be _happy_ , living like that! Which is why I feel… we also need to realize that – even if you fall, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Even if you’re defeated again and again and again, it doesn’t strip you of your worth as a Trainer. Even if your win-loss record looks like something out of a garbage dump, it doesn’t determine your value as a person. I don’t think you need a tangible reason to believe in yourself, other than the fact that you’re _you_ , that you _should_ , that you’re a person capable of growth and learning and change, that you’re always capable of standing back up again and moving onwards! As long as you tell yourself all this, I don’t think anything or anyone can bring you down!”

Yuri pondered those words. _The realization that… even if I fall… I’m going to be okay?_ It was a concept he hadn’t put much thought into and yet… it did not feel all that foreign. In fact… _I know that. I’ve been there before, haven’t I? I’ve been there so many damn times._ _Even when I lose, that doesn’t prevent me from enjoying the process of the battle. That doesn’t change the fact that I’ve come so far from where I’ve first started, that there’s nowhere else for me to go but up. That it’s not the end of the world… it’s never the end for me, so long as I’m still here…_

Was that it? Was that what he was supposed to internalize? Was that what this so-called ‘real confidence’ was all about? He could not help but let out a giggle. “Sounds like something Victor would say.”

“What…?”

“Never mind that! Look, if anything… I guess I kind of understand where you’re coming from, at least.”

Crow heaved a huge sigh of relief. “Thank god! I was so worried your brain’s going to implode there and then! Losing a partner at this juncture would be absolutely disastrous!”

“Are you freaking kidding me – you’re doing this on purpose aren’t you!!?”

“How else would I do it?”

“Oh, you’re _so_ getting dismantled!”

“Like I said – I’d love to see you try!”

One more obstacle stood between Yuri and his prize. One more hurdle to overcome. The final push starts now!


	37. Where The Strongest Gather (Part IV)

“Say, Ripper, what are you going to do with the prize money?”

“Eh… I kind of agreed to treat some people to a meal.”

“A meal, huh? That’s not a bad idea. With that sort of money, you guys could probably order yourselves a nice ten-course meal at the Plaza Hotel or something! Or, if that’s too far away for your liking, I heard that the Leontine Food Street does have some pretty good options…”

There was a particular image that would come to Yuri’s mind at the mention of the word ‘finals’; a typical image – one of a grand stadium, bright lights and a rambunctious crowd… and definitely not anything like what he was experiencing now. There were only four Trainers left standing in the tournament… four Trainers and a handful of robots left in an enormous hall that, compared to how it first started out, felt empty, cold, and way too quiet for Yuri’s liking. _But_ _then again, this is a secret tournament, not a regular one! Fanfare would only ruin everything!_

In this last round, Yuri and Crow would be facing off against the white team – two tall men in (what else but) white masks. On one hand stood Oberon, dressed like an angel, complete with wings, a halo, and an elaborate wig with curly, golden locks. On the other hand, there was Virion the astronaut, wearing a space suit that looked as if it was made from cheap tin foil. And as always, Yuri could not wait to beat the crap out of them.

“What about you, Crow? What are you going to do with the money?”

“Who knows? Perhaps I’ll treat myself to a nice meal too, since you brought it up! But hey, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, shall we? First and foremost…”

“Let’s take care of these suckers!”

“Bzzt! The final match between Oberon and Virion, and Crow and Ripper, will now begin! Starting in three… two… one –”

“Go, Espurr!” shouted Yuri.

“Go, Weavile!” shouted Crow, and from his Ultra Ball emerged a dark gray bipedal Pokémon with blood-red feathers on its head and around its neck.

“Go, Clefable!” Oberon called upon his first fighter, a bouncy, powder-pink Pokémon with pointed ears and dark pink wings on its back.

“Go, Toxicroak!” And last but not least, Virion’s Toxicroak entered the field, a dark blue Pokémon with sinister yellow eyes, wiry legs and a bulbous red sac on its chest. On the back of each of its hands was a single red claw, sharper than a razor’s edge. And Yuri knew, that without a doubt, this here was the main threat on the opposing team – the one who needed to be taken care of, right this instant!

“Burst it down! Espurr, Psychic onto Toxicroak!”

“Weavile, Icicle Crash onto Toxicroak!”

“Sorry, I don’t think so,” said Oberon. “Clefable, Follow Me!”

Clefable wagged a finger, sending forth a small beam of pink light that hit Weavile and Espurr square in their foreheads. All of a sudden, the two Pokémon halted in their tracks. Something seemed to have come over them… and they began to direct their attacks onto Clefable itself instead of Toxicroak! Giant chunks of ice and bright purple energy balls rained all over the Fairy Pokémon, who soaked up the damage no problem like a massive sponge. Meanwhile, Toxicroak was totally unaffected – and totally unharmed – by all the action happening on the battlefield! It began to concentrate intensely, getting ready for its next move…

“Now, Toxicroak, Swords Dance!” commanded Virion.

And with that, Toxicroak’s Attack got a free plus-two boost! That was the last thing that Yuri’s team needed, the one thing that had to be stopped at all costs – and they failed to stop it! “Looks like we totally underestimated the Clefable,” Crow remarked. “Using Follow Me to draw all the aggro so that their main damage-dealer can set up in peace… that’s some solid support strategy. I can see why they managed to make it all the way to the finals!” He cracked his knuckles. “Oh well! Guess we have no choice but to work a teensy bit harder for our million bucks, huh?”

“That’s right,” said Yuri. “So quit your chattering and start attacking them already!

“Your wish is my command! Weavile, Icicle Crash onto Clefable!”

Weavile leapt into the air, its eyes an intense mist blue. One moment later, the moisture in the air around it started to freeze, crystallize, creating icicles sharper than spears, larger than Weavile itself. A wave of a hand and the icicles were sent flying down onto Clefable at immense speed, colliding onto it, taking out the remainder of its health. “Nice, Weavile!” praised Crow, as Weavile landed softly on the ground beside him. “Now, Ripper and Espurr! Toxicroak is all yours! With how much this one seems to emphasize on attack power, I bet it doesn’t have much going for it in terms of defense! A single Psychic should be more than enough to faint it!”

“We’re on it!” Yuri nodded. “You heard him Espurr! Psychic onto Toxicroak!”

Espurr closed its eyes and opened its ears, channeling all its power… but of course, Toxicroak was not about to just stand there and get pummeled by a four-times super-effective attack! It somersaulted behind Espurr and, before the Restraint Pokémon could react, blasted out a Gunk Shot from its palms, striking Espurr down in just one hit!

“No!” Yuri exclaimed, clenching his fists. “Damn you Toxicroak and your Swords Dance! That thing needs to die, right now! Go, Incineroar!”

“Well, I could say the same for Weavile too, you know,” said Oberon. “With that sort of Speed and that Attack, letting it run amok on this battlefield is out of the question! Go, Whimsicott! Tailwind!”

He tossed an Ultra Ball and out popped a brown Pokémon with curled green horns. On its back was a huge ball of fluffy fur, making it resemble a walking cotton puff. Whimsicott started twirling round and round, faster and faster, rising higher and higher into the air as it twirled, generating a harsh gale that blew continuously from behind the white team’s back.

“Now, Toxicroak! Drain Punch onto Weavile!” ordered Virion.

And Toxicroak took off like a bullet. With the wind currents propelling it forward, it closed the gap between itself and Weavile in no time at all… meanwhile, Weavile, moving _against_ the wind, was just not able to be its usual nimble self. It couldn’t jump, it couldn’t dodge; hell, it could barely even stand its ground, with the sheer force of the Tailwind pressing against it. All it could do was to screech in anguish as Toxicroak landed a swift, brutal punch onto its belly, knocking it out instantly.

Yuri’s jaw dropped. Compared to their failed attempt at ending Toxicroak, Oberon and Virion’s takedown of Weavile was way too efficient, way too clinical, just downright ruthless! Making use of Whimsicott’s Prankster Ability to start off the turn with a priority Tailwind… making use of the times-two Speed increase from Tailwind to get Toxicroak to a position where it could outspeed Weavile and deal the killing blow before Weavile could do anything to it… it was like they had the perfect answer to everything he and Crow could throw at them – and, as of right now, the complete setup for the perfect Toxicroak sweep!

He had one last chance. “Avenge Weavile, Incineroar! Flare Blitz onto Toxicroak!”

Engulfing itself in bright blue spiraling flames, Incineroar charged towards Toxicroak, burning its way through the wind resistance with all the strength and power of a fully-evolved Pokémon. It rammed Toxicroak into the ground, and for a moment it seemed that Toxicroak was done for at long last… until it clambered back up to its feet, burnt and battered all over but still with some juice left in it!

“No way!” yelled Yuri. He turned indignantly to Crow. “You said it’s going to be squishy as hell! Then why in blue blazes is it still alive?”

“Oh, come on, it’s nothing to be worried about!” came Crow’s cheerful reply. “It’s not like Toxicroak’s actually going to wipe us all out one by one starting next turn, what with its Tailwind-boosted Speed and its Swords Dance-boosted super-effective STAB Drain Punch attacks and all that sort of nonsense…”

_… What._

Yuri did not even know where to begin with this. “Was… was that supposed to be sarcastic??? Because if your dumb skull hasn’t already realized… yes! Yes!!!!!! That’s exactly what –”

“Believe me, Ripper, it isn’t! Go, Bisharp!” And from Crow’s final Ultra Ball emerged a red-and-black metallic Pokémon with blades on its body, arm and head.

“A Dark-and-Steel-type, huh?” said Virion. “This is going to be a quick one. Toxicroak, Drain –”

“Bisharp, Sucker Punch!”

And that was all she wrote. Toxicroak lunged towards Bisharp, its claw outstretched… and it was this very moment that Bisharp ducked out of the way, slid behind Toxicroak, and jabbed its right forearm blade into its back, knocking it out once and for all.

“And priority saves the day!” said Crow, folding his arms smugly. “What did I tell you, Ripper? Seriously, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for doubting me, even for a second! That’s one down, one more to go for Virion!”

“Heh… I’d expect nothing less from you, Crow!” With that move, all four Trainers were down to their last Pokémon. Things were looking up for them. This was actually beginning to feel like a winnable match! “Alright, Incineroar! Let’s not fall behind! Flare Blitz onto Whimsicott!”

“Oh, no you don’t!” said Oberon. “Shields up, Whimsicott! Protect!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Windveiled Pokémon encased itself in a green-tinted dome, completely blocking out Incineroar’s flames, nullifying every bit of damage Incineroar could do to it. On the other side of the battlefield, Virion took this opportunity to call out his last Pokémon – a Drapion, a long, purple arthropod with sharp fangs and large claws. It seemed like the black team had decided to stick with the same dynamic as before, with Drapion dishing out the big damage, and Whimsicott irritating the ever-loving crap out of them.

“We have one small advantage though,” Crow pointed out. “Because both Incineroar and Bisharp are Dark-types, any priority status move dealt onto them by Whimsicott and its Prankster Ability isn’t going to work _at all_. In other words, there’s no need for us to fear a Stun Spore or an Encore, or whatever annoying move Whimsicott can come up with that could disrupt our attacks!”

“So it’s simple then,” said Yuri. “We do what we always do! Get rid of Drapion… and then Whimsicott will be a piece of cake!”

“My thoughts exactly! Bisharp, Iron Head onto Drapion!”

“Incineroar, Flare Blitz onto Drapion!”

Oberon let out a soft chuckle. “My apologies yet again, but that won’t work against us! Whimsicott, Moonblast onto Bisharp!”

“Drapion, Earthquake!” commanded Virion.

And the first turn of the final stand turned out to be an all-out brawl! Their eyes blazing and their cries piercing, the four Pokémon charged towards their respective targets, unleashing their attacks with everything they had. At the end of it all… Incineroar was left at half health and Bisharp within a hair’s breadth of fainting – yet on the other hand, their combined prowess also brought Drapion one hit away from death!

“The finale, Bisharp!” said Crow. “Sucker Punch! End this Drapion, once and for all!” And Bisharp took its stance, its blades poised at ready for Drapion’s incoming attack…

… which never came! Drapion had absolutely no intention of finishing off its opponent this time round; instead, it stood its ground, charging up a Swords Dance! Yuri felt his heart lurch to his stomach. Sucker Punch was a special priority move that worked only when the target was readying an attack. As a result, the best way to counter it was to anticipate in advance its use… and then choose _not_ _to attack_ at all – which was exactly what their opponents did! _In that case, knowing that Drapion isn’t going to attack... should Bisharp have gone for the Iron Head instead, to guarantee the hit?_

 _No,_ he realized with a bolt of horror, _Bisharp’s deader than dead either way, because of one stupid, infuriating ball of –_

“Whimsicott, Moonblast!”

“Hurry, Incineroar!” cried Yuri, his voice on the verge of cracking. “Flare Blitz onto Whimsicott!”

Incineroar rushed towards Whimsicott, but of course, as expected, it was way too slow! A dazzling, silvery-pink beam shot out of Whimsicott’s horns, piercing right through Bisharp… and although Flare Blitz managed to connect onto Whimsicott and take it down for the revenge kill… what was the point?

What was the point, when Incineroar was next to fall????

“Drapion, Earthquake!”

… And thus marked the unfortunate end of Yuri and Crow’s Leontine City Underground Tournament run.

\---

 

Once again, Yuri Plisetsky found himself at the bottom of a hole, having fallen through the ceiling from the floor above. How many times had this happened to him in this journey of his? Three times? Four times? Was this actually going to become a recurring thing? Because as far as he was concerned, it was totally, absolutely, most definitely not cool _at all_.

But that wasn’t even half of what was making him mad.

 _Damn it… damn it all to hell!!! We just… got wrecked!_ They were so close, so damned close, just one hit away from first place, and yet…! _Arghhh! How annoying!_ Had they played it a little better, had their game been a little tighter… Was there a way around their opponents they hadn’t thought of? Was there a mistake they could’ve avoided? Was there a way they could’ve won?

He sighed. Still, he had to admit; despite the loss, he did grow stronger as a Trainer. He did learn a whole lot more about Double Battles, about the various creative synergies between different Pokémon… After all that was said and done, he did fulfill his original objective of coming here. _So what if we came in second? It’s just a measly tournament. It’s not like it’s actually important, like a Gym Battle or the Pokémon League or anything. The next time we participate in something, things will be different! I’ll make sure of it!_

It was then that he thought of Crow; for some reason, even though they fell through the same pitfall, his partner was nowhere in sight. This could only mean one thing – that Crow ended up falling into an area different than the passageway he was currently in. It was an odd arrangement, to say the least, but then again, knowing the nature of the tournament, it kind of made sense. _Even after everything’s over, they still wouldn’t let us reveal our real identities to each other, huh? Even after we fought our way up together as a team… I guess our secret tournament identities are going to remain a secret until the very end._

He knocked on the wall to his right. “Yo, Crow, are you there?”

He waited a couple of seconds. Sure enough, he heard a couple of faint knocks coming from the other side in response – just faint knocks and nothing else. That was enough for him though, and he pushed himself up from the pillow pile, stretching his legs as he stood. It was time to go. As of this very moment, this tournament was now a thing of the past. He should be looking ahead, thinking of the things he would be doing tomorrow – and that meant hurrying back to the hotel to squeeze in as much sleep as he could manage. He made a deal, after all… and the last thing he wanted was to look like a total zombie in front of people who would _most certainly_ tease him to no end about it.

The passageway was dark, narrow and winding, but a piece of cake to navigate nonetheless. It did not take much time for Yuri to spot the glowing green exit sign, hanging above a metal door. He hastened his footsteps towards it, and pushed the door open –

– and found himself in a small room, surrounded by pristine white walls on all sides. There was nothing in it save for a plastic chair right in the middle and… a television set atop a trolley table? _What??? What the hell’s up with this weird-ass set-up?? And… what’s with this… this…_

_… déjà vu???_

And the strangest thing was… the thing that perplexed and unsettled him the most… was the fact that there wasn’t even a single staircase in sight; no ladders, no elevators, nothing that would show him a way out, even though the sign had clearly stated –

Behind him, the door slammed shut.

“Welcome, Ripper.”

“Who – ”

He spun round immediately… and the sight that befell him made his blood turn cold. Where there had been no one just a second earlier now stood three men and a woman, in red-and-black uniforms, in red-and-black masks, their hair red as the burning sun.

_Crimson Society!!!_

They did not miss a beat. Grabbing hold of Yuri before he could even react, they dragged him to the chair and tied his hands and legs to its frame. It was like being pinned down by a Hippowdon’s jaw. He could not move. He could not struggle. He could not escape!

“Thank you for participating in the Leontine City Underground Tournament!” sang the female Grunt. “As a show of our appreciation, our founder would like to speak with you personally.”

“Does it look like I give a damn about your stupid founder?” yelled Yuri. “Let me go right now! Or else –”

“Or else what?” came a mechanical voice.

Before his very eyes, a fifth person had materialized out of nothing right in front of him – a woman, in high heeled boots, wearing a black tuxedo coat over a red minidress.

“W???” There was no doubt about it. There was no mistaking her style. It was the same woman whom he had defeated in the semifinals. Except… her fiery red hair, no longer tucked into a hat, now fell to her waist; her mask, once a homogeneous bright red, was now red-and-black – the same mask that the Grunts were wearing, the very symbol of pure evil.

“Crimson Admin ‘W’, to be exact. I’m the one who runs this place,” The woman walked up to Yuri and tapped his mask lightly. “So, you lost in the end, huh? That’s a pity. I was really hoping to get my revenge, you know, but it seemed that someone else had already done it for me! Oh well! Still… I think I very much prefer this outcome!”

She peeled the mask off, revealing a pair of defiant green eyes on the face of a boy who was pissed off to high hell. “Oh? Could it be… Yuri Plisetsky?”

“Yeah! It’s me, you bastard! The one who kicked your stupid society’s ass every single time we met! If you think that you can even begin to lay a finger on me, much less torture me –”

“Torture!? You think we’re going to _torture_ you?”

Yuri was slightly taken aback. That… wasn’t what he was expecting. “If not torture… then what are you going to do to me?”

“Nothing but the best thing that could ever happen to you!” exclaimed Admin ‘W’. “We’re going to cleanse your soul of the false truths this society has been feeding you all your life! We’re going to open your eyes! And then you can finally understand the wondrousness of our Red Phantom, and why his path is the one – the only – way!”

“Yeah, of course you are!” Yuri retorted, rolling his eyes. “Forget it! It isn’t going to work! I told your other Admin friend once, and now I’m telling you! I will never, _ever_ submit to your stupid Red Phantom, or whatever you want to call his pretentious ass!”

“I don’t think you have a choice. All people and Pokémon will bow before the Red Phantom soon enough. All will give their hearts and souls, their entire _lives_ to him. Such a fact has already been set in stone. Those that came before you, they already know. Their minds are now enlightened to the real truth. They have left this place as better people, people with actual purpose, people who will rise above the masses when the promised day comes! And you, too…”

“Wait. Those that came before me…”

“The other Trainers in the tournament. All of them. Or… maybe ‘tournament’ isn’t the right word. After all, if you haven’t already realized, this was never actually one to begin with. I’d call it… a recruitment fair. We gather accomplished Trainers, evaluate their skills in a series of battles, and then introduce them to the Crimson Society. The Red Phantom deserves nothing less than the best followers to carry out his ritual, after all. And of course, we members deserve nothing less than the Phantom's glorious vision and perfect guidance.”

“So… the million dollars… the promise of worthy opponents… all _bait_? And… and the way the eliminations were carried out…” The way he and Crow were separated… the way he was led straight to this room… straight to _them…_

“Every single contestant but two. It should’ve been me and my Grunt left standing in the end – and it had been the case for every single tournament we held until now… until you and your partner waltzed along and ruined our streak! Not that two million dollars actually matters to our society of course, but the fact that we couldn’t recruit the maximum number of participants this time round…”

“And how long have you been doing this…?”

“Six times,” said the Admin, a tinge of pride in her voice. “This is the seventh one. Isn’t it just wonderful? So many new recruits… so many amazing new members for our Crimson army…”

It did not make sense. It did not make sense one bit. The whole region _hated_ Crimson Society. Everyone who was old enough to be accomplished Trainers - every single one of them - they had lived through those five years and their aftermath; they had known how horrible it had been, how _painful_ it had been under the Red Phantom’s rule. This was _their_ truth, the unwavering reality that they had collectively and each personally experienced. So how was it that all those contestants could be so convinced by Admin ‘W’’s bullshit – and without being subjected to torture, too?

No… how was it that _anyone_ in the right mind could be so convinced by Crimson Society’s bullshit? It couldn't have been just Yuri who was opposing them, could it? _No, it just couldn't!_

Why would anyone want to stand on the side of a major scumbag of a god – one who killed entire cities, one who ruined entire families? For strength? For power? Because they were gullible idiots who could not tell right from wrong? Sure, there were people like that everywhere; Yuri was never one to deny that. Yet, for Crimson Society to amass half a thousand members, when they had been operating underground in secret thus far for the past five years…

_Just how in the world…_

The pieces were starting to fall into place. That one Hypno in Grimmetts City. The kidnapping of innocent children who would agree to everything they said. Recruitment traps disguised as secret tournaments that _actually worked_. The extreme fanaticism of the Crimson Society members. The sheer _conviction_  they possessed, that _everyone_ would bow before their leader…

Yuri’s face turned pale. “What… what exactly did you do to the other contestants?”

“Like I said. We opened their eyes. Made them see. Made them understand the Red –”

“Cut the crap! You _brainwashed_ them!”

Admin ‘W’ heaved a sigh. “So, that’s what you choose to call it, huh? And I bet you think we’re a cult too, don’t you? Yeah, we get that a lot. It’s fine, though. It doesn’t matter. After watching this video, you too, will finally see what we’ve been seeing all this while. And then you too, will join the rest of us in our noble undertaking…”

She pressed a button on a remote, and the television screen flashed to life; that was Yuri’s cue to squeeze his eyes as tightly as he could, because there was no way, no way in hell that he would lay any his eyes on that screen! But… what else could he do??? He couldn’t access his Poké Balls! He couldn’t possibly sit there forever…

“For god’s sake… would you stop being so stubborn and watch the video already?!” said Admin ‘W’. “I really wasn’t planning on using force at all… but I guess you leave me with no choice! Go, Lapras! Blizzard!” And within seconds, the temperature of the room started to drop at a frightening rate!

“We’re wearing our new-and-improved special combat safety uniforms,” continued the Admin. “Sub-zero degrees mean nothing to us. You, on the other hand… I wonder how long you’ll last in here? Now, if you would just open your eyes…”

“Fat chance! I’d rather freeze to death… than get brainwashed and become one of you…” It was a threat… but at this rate, it seemed that death was becoming a real possibility. There was no way he could keep himself warm in his state, not in those thin rags they called a costume, not with his limbs tied to the chair. The extreme cold pierced his skin and seared his bones. He could feel his consciousness slipping away. _But… they won’t actually kill me, would they? They still want me alive… to join their crazy cult of a society. If I die… then… then Victor and Yuuri… and Otabek… No, they wouldn’t want to incur the wrath of those three… they wouldn’t be so dumb… even if they’re all…_

The Blizzard raged on and on. _At least… at least it’s easier to keep my eyes shut this way. If they want, those bastards can pry my eyelids open from my cold, dead face. No matter what, I wouldn’t yield. I mustn’t yield… I musn’t…_

_CRASH!_

And the door burst open! There, standing right at the doorway, was a man in a black mask and a pirate costume, with a dark blue bird Pokémon beside him.

“Crow!” cried Admin ‘W’ in shock. “And Honchkrow!”

“Superpower!” commanded Crow, and with a single blast from Honchkrow, all five Crimson Society members and Lapras were knocked out flat! Immediately, the Blizzard dissipated. Meanwhile, Crow dashed over to Yuri, draped his cloak around him, and freed him from his ropes.

“You… came! How…”

“Less talking, more running,” shushed Crow, getting Yuri back to his feet. “Come on! Before they wake up!”

“Yeah… like I can run fast in this state. I have a better idea. Go, Luxio!”

As the Spark Pokémon emerged from his Poké Ball, Yuri reached into his pocket and threw a piece of blue candy at it – a Rare Candy! “Luxio, evolve… and get us out of here!”

And there it was once again, that familiar white light, radiating unparalleled warmth… The Pokémon that took Luxio’s place had oval ears, a spiky black mane, and disheveled blue-and-black fur. He had seen that Pokémon before, back when his friend was still a Shinx – a Luxray!

The two Trainers hopped onto Luxray’s back and bailed from the room, heading back into the passageway. It was pitch dark, but Luxray’s speed showed no sign of slowing down; after all, with its X-ray vision, darkness was never an issue to begin with! It leapt up the hole Yuri fell from, leapt up a second hole on the ceiling of the main battle arena, taking them to the lift lobby.

Right there, in the middle of the lobby, was a single robot. “Bzzt! Welcome to the –”

Luxray swiped a sparking paw and the robot instantly crumbled into pieces. “Yessss!” cheered Yuri. “Well done, Luxray! Damn, did it feel good!”

Crow let out a giggle. “You sure did make good on your word, huh, Yurio?”  
  
“You got that right – wait, Yurio???” Did he hear wrong? The only people who ever called him by that name were…

“Oh, right. I guess I won’t be needing this anymore,” Crow removed his mask, revealing deep brown eyes, short dark hair –

“Yuuri!!!???”

“The one and only! Well…! Umm… you must have a lot of questions for me, huh?”

\---

 

The night breeze was warm and gentle. The streets of Leontine City were deadly quiet, completely devoid of a single soul…

… except for Yuri and ‘Crow’, of course.

“Of all the people to be paired up with!” said Yuri. “First thing’s first! How did you manage to get to me in the first place?”

“Remember how you were knocking on the wall?” said Yuuri. “That basically confirmed your location to me. So, I decided to Fly back up with Honchrow and drop back down where you fell. I mean, if they’re going to send us to separate exits for whatever reason, why the hell would just I _let them_ , am I right? By the time I caught up to you, you were already inside the room. I couldn’t hear anything you guys were saying, but I definitely _felt_ the cold from the door, so I knew that something was up. I ordered a Superpower from Honchkrow… and well, you know the rest.”

“Man, I’m so glad you did! Otherwise I would have… I would have…”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Yuri groaned in frustration. “I still can’t believe this was all just a huge ploy from Crimson Society, though! And I can’t believe I fell for it like an idiot!”

“Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I didn’t see it coming either,” said Yuuri. “In fact, I don’t think any of the other participants suspected a thing. What were their plans, anyway, Yurio? Did you manage to learn anything important from them while you were in there?”

“More than important! It’s pretty much the entire M.O. of their organization!”

Yuuri’s eyes widened. “No… no way! They just told you that straight out!?”

“Well… I don’t think they were planning to let me leave that room. And I doubt they expected you to come and save me either, so…”

“Wow. I guess that was a closer shave than I thought, huh? We definitely need to discuss this with the others first thing tomorrow.”

“…You mean ‘later’, right?”

They walked in silence for a few moments before Yuri spoke up again. “By the way, did you know I was Ripper all along?”

“Well… it’s pretty obvious from the start!” Yuuri chuckled. “You have a… how do I put it? A _distinct_ personality. And you didn’t even bother to hide it too.”

“Hey, in my defense, I didn’t think I’d meet someone I know! Especially you! Weren’t you all about going to sleep early and that sort of shit?”

“Yes, but… Well… the tournament did sound kind of interesting, so… I guess curiosity won out in the end. I didn’t regret it one bit, though! Despite our loss, it was pretty fun… even with all the Crimson Society stuff going on behind the scenes.”

“Yeah, of course you had fun!” snapped Yuri. “You weren’t the one getting trolled every other second!”

“Ah – about that! I’m really, _really_ sorry, Yurio! I know I went a little overboard with the teasing, but… I just wanted to keep up my disguise, that’s all! I mean, I’m part of the Elite Four! You know how easy it is for us to get recognized these days! I didn’t want us to get disqualified from the tournament just because of that, so naturally, I had to do something to keep the suspicion off my back… which was to act as someone more or less different from myself! If I angered you, or offended you in any way – and I’m pretty sure I did…”

“Are you kidding me?” scoffed Yuri. “I was _this_ close to dismantling you! But… you don’t have to apologize or anything. I mean, you did save my life. That pretty much cancels out all the trolling you did, doesn’t it?”

“I guess when you put it that way…”

“That settles it, then! Although, I must say…” The blonde boy could not help but let out a giggle. “Now that I know that you and Crow are one and the same, I wonder why I didn’t realize it sooner. You really suit that persona, you know? It doesn’t seem out of place on you at all.”

“Wh-what??? But… but… that’s not… Are you saying I’m suited… to be a _troll_!???”

“Well… not quite.”

They walked and talked and before they knew it, they were at the hotel.

\---

 

Four-thirty a.m..

Yuri crashed onto his bed, feeling more worn-out than he had ever been in ages. If he could, he would totally sleep the rest of the day away…

… but of course, he couldn’t. He made a deal, after all.

What time was he supposed to meet up with them again? Seven. Which essentially gave him a grand whopping total of two-and-a-half hours of sleep.

 _I guess I better set an alarm._ He reached for his Xtransceiver…

… there, right on the main screen, was an unread text. From Victor Nikiforov, of all people.

_Hi Yurio! Something cropped up and I don’t think I can make it for breakfast anymore! Let’s meet up at noon for lunch instead, shall we? Thanks! :)_

_Well, that’s awfully convenient,_ thought Yuri, and he went back to bed.


	38. Where The Strongest Gather (Part V)

Yuri didn’t think that anything else in the Leontine Food Street could top the meal he had had yesterday, but oh, how wrong he turned out to be! Apparently, last evening’s ‘banquet’ was but an _appetizer_. The food that lay before them on the table right now, _this_ , this was the real deal. Half the dishes he had never seen before in his entire life. The other half he did not imagine were even edible to begin with.

“Alright!” said Victor, clapping his hands together. “Let’s dig in!”

“I… don’t think I remember seeing any of these stalls serving any of these stuff,” gulped Yuuri.

“You’re not meant to! These dishes are from the secret menu! The stalls don’t usually display them out in the open for the customers, but it’s common knowledge that every chef has at least one of those – all we have to do is ask! And by ask, I mean pay the right price. Special service doesn’t come cheap, you know!”

“And how much did you spend on everything, exactly?”

Victor put his finger thoughtfully on his chin. “Huh… that’s a really, really good question! I guess I was so busy admiring the food that I forgot to keep track! If I were to hazard a guess… hmm, I don’t know, half a million dollars, maybe?”

“Are you for real!?” Yuri burst out. “Half a million dollars!? Who the hell spends that much money on a single meal? _Why_ the hell would anyone spend that much money on a single meal??? In fact… what even is this meal anyway? What the hell are we supposed to be eating?”

“That’s what I want to know too,” Otabek chimed in.

“Aww, come on, you guys!” said Victor, feigning disappointment. “Where did your sense of adventure go? Are you seriously expecting me to spoil the suspense of trying out a dish for the first time? I thought we’ve been through this before! Eat it and decide for yourselves!”

Yuri narrowed his eyes. “You’re doing this on purpose aren’t you?”

“How else would I do it?”

There were a number of ways Yuri could go about his so-called ‘adventure’. He could start with the soggy eggs and their half-melted greenish-brown yolks that seemed like they had been decomposing for a hundred years… or he could go for the grayish, bubbling broth with the chunky red cubes and what awfully resembled the entrails of a dried-out corpse… or perhaps, the reddish-black, spiky ball-thing that totally did not look dangerous and poisonous at all and would totally not choke him to death…

_Argh! Whatever! What am I, a wimp? If it’s food that costs half a million dollars… if it’s food that Victor went out of his damned way to get us… then how bad can it really be?_ He stabbed his fork into one of the spiky balls –

It was as hard as rock. “I think you’re supposed to cut it open, like it’s some sort of shell,” said Yuuri, gesturing to a pair of scissors beside the plate. So that was what Yuri did… and it turned out that inside the ball contained five orange pieces of fleshy meat, arranged in a star-shape formation not unlike Incineroar’s Fire Blast.

He scraped off one of the pieces and ate it. To his surprise, it tasted like… the ocean, even though he didn’t know what the ocean would taste like, even though he didn’t think the ocean – being the freaking _ocean_ and all – would even have a taste in the first place. And yet… there was really no other way he could think of to describe its flavor. It was… odd. Odd… but not utterly revolting like what he had feared. In fact… it was actually really, really good.

“So? What do you think?” asked Victor, his lips curled into a knowing smirk. “This is what we call ‘uni’. I’d say it’s worth its price, don’t you think so?”

“I guess I can’t argue with that,” said Yuri, stuffing another piece of uni into his mouth.

“Great! It’s good that we’re in agreement here. After all, it’s _your_ money we’re talking about…”

Yuri almost spat out his food. “Wait what –!”

And then it all hit him like a Hammer Arm. Of course. _Of course!!!_ How could he forget about the treat he promised them yesterday? That explained why Victor was so willing to drop all that cash on those rare and exotic dishes… and of course, the Champion of the Ibara Region, being the _absolute airhead idiot_ that he was, would totally go ahead with the program without doing the obvious thing of _asking beforehand_. _Now, how in the world am I going to afford this stupid meal with the prize money I don’t have????_

The Champion burst into laughter. “Don’t worry, Yurio! I’m just pulling your leg! I’ll be the one treating this time round. I thought you could use some cheering up after last night’s defeat!”

And now Yuri felt cheated. “Jeez, thanks for nothing! I mean, losing is bad enough! I don’t need to go into –”

…

…

“ _WHAAAAAAAAAAT?????_ ”

“Huh? Why the startled faces? Of course I knew about your defeat! I was the one who won the tournament after all – and I’m pretty sure you weren’t my partner! Does the name ‘Oberon’ ring a bell?”

…

“ _YOU_ were Oberon???” screamed Yuuri, Yuri and Otabek in unison.

“What are _you_ surprised, Otabek?” said Yuri. “As if that name makes any sense to you!”

“Believe it or not, it actually does,” Otabek replied. “It’s because… it’s because I entered the tournament too. As… ‘Virion’.”

“ _You_ were Virion??????” exclaimed the other three.

For a while, a pensive air hung over that particular table. _Unbe-freaking-lievable_. That wasn’t creepy. That was totally not creepy at all.

\---

 

Now that Yuri and the others had gotten over the initial shock, it turned out that there was indeed a rational explanation for the events that had transpired last night. According to Otabek, there were only three other Trainers that arrived after he did – Victor as Oberon, Yuuri as Crow and Yuri as Ripper. That made them the last four contestants to enter the tournament, and with everyone else already having partners of their own, the system had no other choice but to pair them up within themselves. Which meant that it was less of a creepy coincidence and more of a flaw in the sorting method… yet to Yuri, it still did not discount the fact that in spite of their reluctance, his friends had all joined up with him in the end. Sure, each of them probably had his own individual reasons for doing so, but why did it all seem like they entered because _he_ was there? Perhaps… he wanted to believe it to be the case. It was a thought that brought a smile to his face.

In other news, it appeared that Victor, to no one’s surprise, had gone overboard with his spending spree and bought way too much food for the four of them _and_ their twenty-three Pokémon. This of course, led to a whole lot of chiding and griping (mostly from a certain blonde Trainer) and a lengthy rant on restraint and financial responsibility (mostly from a certain Elite Four member), resulting in a consensus between Yuri, Yuuri and Otabek that Victor was to finish the rest of the food all by himself, by hook or by crook. Naturally, the Champion outright dismissed the idea, and, with a flick of his hair and a megawatt smile, stood up from his chair and declared to the whole wide world that he would be sharing whatever was left over with the rest of the other tables and customers instead. Talk about escaping punishment with style! And so, amidst loud cheering and rejoicing, Yuri and the others departed from the Leontine Food Street.

In the end, it was a pity that they did not manage to accomplish anything else on their original to-do-list for the city… except training, of course. Yuri was particularly adamant on that. As usual, thanks to the help of Victor and Yuuri, the session was extremely productive, and as a result, all five of his Pokémon had gained at least a couple of levels each. That was more than enough to push Espurr over the edge to evolve into Meowstic, and Stufful to evolve into Bewear. Needless to say, Yuri was overjoyed. That made two more assets for his next Gym Battle – two more assets for his Pokémon team!

The topic of Crimson Society came up next, and Yuri wasted no time at all describing to the others his encounter with Admin ‘W’ and her Grunts, down to the very last detail. Now that he had his hindsight goggles on, the scary realization began to dawn on him – that aspects of the underground tournament which seemed like harmless fun at first had actually been part of Crimson Society’s convoluted plan all along. Those fancy disguises… they must have been for the purpose of letting Admin ‘W’ blend in with the rest of the participants, so that no one would realize that anything was amiss until it was too late. Not only that, the total anonymity… the fact that the use of their real names was banned… it was probably so that not a single one of them could be tracked down after the tournament was over, not the Admin, nor the Trainers who got brainwashed.

“So, to sum it all up, the whole tournament was all just an elaborate scheme! The entire reason why it’s held in the first place is because Crimson Society wants some new meat in their ranks – new _brainwashed_ meat, might I add – all so that they can carry out their lame-ass Void Scrolls ritual and summon their dumb Phantom!”

“And based off that, I think we can pretty much confirm that the kidnapping attempts in Crystalline Cave and Grimmetts City were attempts at converting new members as well,” added Otabek. “With how aggressive they are being in that aspect… I bet that whatever ritual they’re planning on performing is going to be something huge. Something that needs a lot of manpower.”

“It says a lot about their beliefs, doesn’t it?” murmured Victor. “That they had to resort to such underhanded means to sway people to their cause…”

“Tell me about it!” said Yuri bitingly. “If it weren’t for the brainwashing, do you think they would even have the chance to grow into the threat they are today? After all, anyone with a functioning brain can totally see that their whole ideology is just a pile of garbage! Evil, repugnant, twisted garbage… just like the Leader they want to bring back so much!”

“It’s so… _wrong_ , and… messed up no matter how I look at it,” said Yuuri. “I mean… those were once perfectly normal Trainers… people on the side of good! And now… because of Crimson Society… they’ve become nothing but monsters! Monsters who, for the sake of their Leader, would gladly throw away their conscience… monsters who would harm innocents – even children – without batting an eye! It’s just… it’s not… you guys know where I’m getting at, right?”

“But above that,” said Otabek, “those monsters are going to go on to create even more monsters… and Crimson Society’s strength continues to wax, and they get one more step closer to their endgame. We must prevent that at all costs.”

“No matter what it takes!” said Yuri. “The next time I see their pesky masked faces… they’re going to be so damned sorry!”

And thus, bit by bit, plans were starting to take shape. According to Victor, their first task would be to warn the public about Crimson Society and their so-called ‘recruitment’ tactics. Thankfully, it was an easy one – an email to the Pokémon League Association would more or less take care of it. “How’s that even going to work, though?” Yuri wondered aloud. “For a group that operates in the shadows, for a group that has zero qualms about using force and kidnapping to get their way… how in the world is a freaking public service announcement going to stop them?”

“Well… I guess it gets everyone in the region informed?” shrugged Yuuri. “It’s always good to have the public more vigilant and aware of their surroundings, especially with the way things are starting to escalate. Besides… even if it might seem insignificant, I still think we have to do it! After all, this is Crimson Society we’re up against! Every little bit of effort counts! It might not make much of a difference in the long run, but it’s still a difference nonetheless!”

“Well said, Yuuri!” said Victor. “But hey, it’s not like we aren’t going to be doing anything major! For our next step, we’ll have to split into two teams. One team will look into none other than the brainwashing. If we can find out more about the techniques Crimson Society use – how it works, how it all comes together – we might be able to come up with a way to _reverse_ it and free the members who are mind-controlled. That’ll no doubt put a huge dent in their forces!”

“And how –”

“Ispahan City, of course!”

Yuri’s eyes lit up. “Hey, isn’t that where my next Gym is?”

“That’s right! To non-Gym challengers though, Ispahan City is more widely known as the technological capital of the Ibara Region. I’m sure there’ll be someone who’s an expert in this field, who can help us with all our questions!”

And that was Yuri and Otabek’s next destination. In the meantime, Victor and Yuuri would remain in Leontine City to try and put an end to the underground tournament once and for all. “The plan is for us to enter the tournament again and single out the Crimson Society members before they can claim any more victims,” said Yuuri. “Perhaps we might even get our hands on some of their tech while we’re at it! Of course… there’s always a good chance that they might have already hightailed out of Leontine after their previous misstep… but whichever the case, we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for any clues, or a lead.”

Yuri was getting pumped up. _Finally! Some actual progress!_ He did not know if it would be enough to deal the fatal blow to the organization, but like what Yuuri had said – it would be a blow either way! In any case, it was definitely way better than sitting around and waiting and not doing anything at all. He absolutely could not wait to get started! “And then, when we’re done with our tasks… we’ll all meet up again, right?”

“That’s a given, Yurio!” said Victor, smiling warmly at him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Drop us a call when you guys are done with your investigation, and we’ll join up with you in a flash!”

“Good! I’m going to hold you to that!”

The sun was beginning to set in the horizon. Cherry pink skies and meringue yellow clouds… It was a lovely sight, one Yuri had to learn to appreciate – but that had been months ago, and now that he knew how gorgeous it could be, he could never imagine going a day without seeing it…

He stood up and swung his bag around his shoulder. “Well, I guess it’s time we get going! You guys better get on with your task too, you hear me? If you let Crimson Society recruit more Grunts from this place, I’ll never forgive you!”

“Well, well, Yurio! Aren’t you jumping the gun a little?” grinned Victor. “We get it! You can’t stand hanging around us old folk! You find us a total nag! Kids these days, I swear…!”

“Hey, speak for yourself! I bet it’s you two sickening lovebirds who can’t wait for us to screw off and stop interfering with your sappy little date! Isn’t that right, Otabek?”

“What? Don’t drag me into this.”

“But you _do_ agree, don’t you? Come on, back me up here!”

Yuuri giggled. “He’s your rival, Yurio! You guys are supposed to be on opposite sides!”

And with that, Yuri and Otabek waved good-bye to the Elite Four and the Champion, and set off for a straight course towards Ispahan City.

… The blonde boy could not help but turn back. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted at the top of his lungs. “Good luck, Victor, Yuuri!!!”

Behind him, the two silhouettes were still waving. No matter how many times he turned around, he could still see them waving. Even as they became but tiny specks in the far-off distance, they still kept on waving.


	39. Sword And Shield

They were standing at the gates of what seemed to be a city straight out of a science fiction movie. The buildings were glossy and sleek – half covered in large geometric glass panels, half adorned with sprawling emerald plants, constructed in odd, irregular shapes that looked more like pieces of art than places to live in. Above them, cars and hoverbikes cruised through the air; all around them, holographic screens displayed the latest news and the hottest Pokémon talk shows. It was the very picture of advancement… nothing short of the so-called technological center of Ibara!

“So this is Ispahan City!” said Yuri Plisetsky, his blood pumping with excitement. It was here that two tasks awaited him – firstly, he needed to take down the Gym Leader and earn his sixth Badge. Secondly, he and his fellow Trainer Otabek Altin would need to find out how the evil Crimson Society could have been brainwashing and recruiting new members to their group. It was no doubt an extremely important job… one that might determine the fate of the entire region… one that Champion Victor and Elite Four Yuuri were counting on them to complete!

“Have you seen Victor’s email?” asked Otabek. “Two days from now, the Ispahan Laboratories will be holding a special lecture with a couple of guest professors from the Kalos Region. He wants us to go check it out.”

“The Ispahan Laboratories?”

“Yes. That’s where the bulk of the city’s R and D takes place.”

“In other words… he wants us to attend a _science lecture_ ,” scowled Yuri. “Why the hell would I be interested in that? Although… if it could help us learn something about the brainwashing…”

“Actually, I don’t think it has anything to do with brainwashing at all,” said Otabek, taking a closer look at his PokéNav Plus. “It looks to be about… a novel multi-tier simulation platform for the quantitative genetic analysis of advanced evolution phases in stage-three Pokémon.”

“… What???”

“Don’t look at me. That’s the title written in the email. I don’t know what it means either.”

“Then why on earth did Victor think it’s a good idea to send us there?” exclaimed Yuri.

“Maybe he wants us to get into contact with one of the lab staff, and have them direct us to someone who can actually give us the information we need,” said Otabek thoughtfully. “Someone like a researcher, or an expert. After all, a high-profile lecture like this is probably one of the only times the lab is open to members of the public. This might be the only chance we get.”

“That makes sense,” said Yuri. “Argh! This is going to be Trainers’ School all over – only a million times worse! What a waste of my time! I thought I never had to go through this sort of torture again after graduation day!”

“We don’t need to attend the whole event if you don’t want to, you know,” Otabek pointed out. “We could just slip in at the very end, when the main lecture’s over and everyone’s starting to leave, catch one of the scientists and –”

Yuri’s jaw dropped. “Oh. My. God. You’re a genius, Otabek!”

“Huh?” said Otabek, raising an eyebrow. “You mean… you weren’t thinking about doing that?

“… I didn’t think we could.”

“Of course we can. I thought you would know that. I mean… you kind of seemed like the type who would skip class all the time –”

“What? No way! How dare you even suggest that?”                                                                                                                 

“I thought you didn’t like lectures.”

“Well, I _don’t_!” said Yuri huffily. “They’re lame and boring and can rot in hell for all I care! But back in Trainers’ School, if we skipped any one of them without a valid excuse, we would get demerits. And obviously, I wasn’t going to let that happen to me! How else would I be beating the other kids and topping the class?” Not that he actually ended up topping his class when all was said and done… but he did not need to tell his rival that.

The slightest hint of a smile tugged at Otabek’s lips. “Yeah, that makes sense for you.”

“Which was why no matter how awful my classes got, I would always attend them all – not that I actually listened for the most part. I was too busy thinking about what came _after_ the lectures,” The blonde boy could not help but let out a giggle at that recollection. “That was when we would have mock tournaments in the playground to demonstrate what we had learnt. Those were always fun. They totally made all the boredom worth it!”

“Sounds like you had a good time in Trainers School,” said Otabek.

“Yeah… I guess you can say that. What about you, Otabek? What’s school like for you?”

“It was normal,” Otabek replied briskly. “There’s nothing to write home about.” Turning his gaze away from Yuri, into the distance, he spoke up again. “We have two days until the lecture. Let’s get that Gym battle of yours done and over with.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” grumbled Yuri. _Typical Otabek and his typical replies._ He did not know what he was expecting from the other guy.

\---

 

The Ispahan City Gym was located in the east of the city, a huge, dome-shaped structure ten minutes away from their current location by hoverbike – yes, hoverbike! It turned out that there was a rental shop right across the road from where they were, and needless to say, both Yuri and Otabek totally hopped on board. A few ten thousand Pokémon dollars later, they were now the temporary owners of a brand new _GX130 Rage Gyarados_ , a two-wheeled blood-red beauty with gold and silver accents.

Yuri wanted so badly to drive the thing he could taste it… unfortunately for him, it had already been clearly established that Otabek was _a lot_ better at stuff like this than he was; plus, letting someone who had never handled even a regular motorcycle before drive its much more expensive and way more cutting-edge counterpart was definitely not a good idea. So it was Otabek in the driver’s seat once again and Yuri in the passenger’s seat, his helmet strapped securely to his head, his hands wrapped firmly around Otabek’s waist, his heart pounding with anticipation at his first ride on… the ride of the future!

“Hold on tight!” said Otabek, flipping the ignition switch. The engines revved up, and the wheels started to rotate inwards such that they were parallel to the ground, emitting a faint pulse that allowed the entire bike to float in mid-air, like it had the Ability Levitate! It was nothing short of cool as hell! Otabek pressed his foot onto the accelerator, and with a sudden jerk, the whole bike shot forwards and upwards, right into the clear blue skies!

… okay, ‘skies’ might be exaggerating things a bit. The bike didn’t exactly go all that high up, only taking them amongst the upper-middle stories of the buildings in the city rather than among the clouds. To add to the list of expectations that fell short, it wasn’t what Yuri would consider speedy or exhilarating either. In fact, nothing particularly eventful happened. It was a smooth journey from start to finish, an ordinary ride on an ordinary vehicle _above_ ordinary roads. The blonde boy wasn’t too disappointed though. Sure, a part of him was secretly hoping for a round two of Celestial Pagoda (minus the falling part of course), but he could totally use a relaxing ride right now. After all, what better way than this to clear his mind for his upcoming Gym battle!

The moment they pulled up in front of the Gym and dismounted the bike, an image started to come into being right in front of them – a hologram, a virtual projection in the shape of a spirited young man with messy hair and a short beard. “Hi! Welcome to the Ispahan Gym! I’m the Gym Leader, Emil. How do you do?”

The voice came out crisp and clear, as if the real Emil was actually standing right there, talking to them. Yuri reached out to touch the hologram – and true to what he had expected, his hand passed right through it. “Is this real-time, or just a recording?”

“Real-time!” laughed Emil’s hologram. “Think of it like a video call, except it’s in 3D and not on a screen! How it works is that –”

“Yeah, save it for someone who cares,” Yuri interrupted. “The only thing I’m interested in is your Badge!”

“Ah, so you’re a challenger! Nice! It’s been a while since we have one! Don’t go anywhere, alright? I’ll be with you in a moment.” And with that, the hologram disappeared with a ping.

A couple of minutes later, the doors of the Gym slid open. Greeting them, in flesh and blood, was none other than the Gym Leader Emil himself. “Yo! Welcome once again to the Gym, umm…”

“Yuri Plistesky. And that’s Otabek Altin.”

“And you both wish to battle me?”

“Not me,” said Otabek. “Just him.”

“I see!” said Emil cheerfully. “Well then… come on in! Let’s get started!”

He led them into the dome, to a futuristic arena made entirely of solid black steel. The walls and door were lined with bright blue glow strips, lighting up the place; on the floor, more glow strips marked out the battlefield – a huge, hexagonal glass screen with the image of a stylized Poké Ball logo displayed on it.

“How do you like my pad?” said Emil, grinning proudly. “I’d say it’s pretty sweet myself! This is where our battle will be held! Designed by a good friend of mine, executed by the Ispahan Laboratories… you can’t get any more perfect than this for a Steel-type Gym!”

“The Steel-type?” echoed Yuri.

“That’s right!” said Emil. “Tough as nails, sturdy like iron, with resistances like no tomorrow… you know how awesome they are! So let’s see how you fare against them!”

They took their places. Without realizing it, Yuri found himself turning towards the spectators’ booth… and he felt a stab of emptiness. Of course… with Victor and Yuuri in Leontine City, there wouldn’t be a cheer squad this time round, he should have expected that…

… instead, there was _Otabek freaking Altin_ , holding the cheer squad banner in his hands!

“Since when was that thing with you?!” exclaimed Yuri.

“Yuuri gave it to me before we left,” the older guy replied. “Said something about being with you in spirit, even though they can’t physically be there to cheer… you… on.”

The next thing Yuri knew, Otabek’s teeth were gnashed as he lifted the banner higher, right in front of his face –

“Go… go! Let’s go, Yurio…! Yay…!”

…

“Sorry. That was – I don’t know what came over me.”

“You really suck at this, you know that, Otabek?” grinned Yuri. “But, hey… thanks. I appreciate it.” And he really did. His cheer squad really was the best!

And now, more than ever, he _had_ to get this Badge!

“How about let’s make this a four-on-four?” said Emil. “My Pokémon are itching for some action!”

“Fine by me!” said Yuri, tossing out his first Poké Ball. “I’m going to win anyway! Go, Bewear!”

In a flash of light, Bewear landed heavily onto the ground. With a round black body, pink head, fluffy white ears and a striped tail, this Normal-and-Fighting-type might look just as cute and cuddly as the pre-evolved Stufful, but Yuri knew more than anyone that it packed a punch!

“Go, Aggron!” yelled Emil, and from his Ultra Ball emerged a heavyweight, fearsome Pokémon with gleaming plates of grayish-silver armor on its head and down its back. “Let’s get this ball rolling with some Stealth Rock!”

“Bewear, Swords Dance, then Superpower!”

Things could not have started off any better for Yuri and Bewear! First came the free Attack boost while Aggron summoned its rocks – and now, the finisher! Bewear raised its arms, gathering a massive orange orb of energy that it hurled effortlessly onto Aggron. The force of the attack devoured Aggron, overwhelming it, tearing it apart…!

“Direct hit!” cheered Yuri. “There’s absolutely no way you’re coming back from this!”

“Funny you should say that,” said Emil, smiling.

The blast dissipated… revealing an Aggron who was still alive! It was extremely worn out though, and there were serious cracks and dents all over its armor plates… but the fact remained that it could withstand a Swords Dance-boosted, _four times_ super-effective attack from Bewear’s base Attack of 125…

“When I said that Steel-type Pokémon are sturdy as all get out, I meant that literally! Sturdy! That’s Aggron’s Ability! Any hundred-to-zero move it receives is going to leave it surviving with 1 HP!” The Gym Leader snapped his fingers, and Aggron crouched down into position, ready for its next attack. “Comeback time, Aggron! Reversal!”

Putting on a burst of speed, Aggron rammed into Bewear, grabbed it by its waist and suplexed it to the ground. However, despite the super-effectiveness, despite the Defense drop from Superpower, and despite the huge spike in Reversal’s damage stemming from Aggron’s low HP, Bewear still had a good amount of health left in it! _Your Steel-type aren’t the only good tanking Pokémon out there, Emil! For Bewear’s Fluffy Ability cuts the damage from any Physical move by half! You’re going to have to work a lot harder than that to deal any sort of major damage to it!_  

The Gym Leader’s next move was to spray a Hyper Potion onto Aggron, restoring its health back up to full. The fractures on Aggron’s armor disappeared instantly, and the Iron Armor Pokémon was once again poised at the ready to receive yet another (almost) fatal blow. And Yuri’s response? A Shadow Claw, an attack that would most certainly _not_ end up in a kill – and that was the entire point. With Aggron’s HP no longer at a hundred percent, Bewear’s subsequent Superpower would not be impeded by Sturdy any longer!

The orange energy sphere came thundering at Aggron… but of course, Emil was not having any of this! “Aggron, switch out, come back! Go, Aegislash!”

And what landed onto the battlefield… was a Pokémon Yuri had never encountered before.

With its single piercing eye and both its wide, purple hands holding an ornate shield in front of it, Aegislash gave off a stoic and resolute air. But no matter how unknown it was to him, no matter resilient it seemed, a Steel-type was still a Steel-type. Which meant that Superpower _should_ be able to do a number to it –

To his utter shock however, the attack passed right through!  

_No effect!?_ To be able to resist Fighting-type moves… Aegislash had to be part Ghost-type as well! In that case… “Change of plans, Bewear! Shadow Claw! We can still fight this!”

“Block it, Aegislash!” shouted Emil. “King’s Shield!”

Bewear’s fist glowed with an eerie purple aura, an aura which morphed into three gigantic claws. Throwing its arm back, Bewear lunged forward and swiped at its opponent, but it was this moment that Aegislash’s shield began glowing a metallic silver, creating a shimmering, almost invisible barrier in front of it. Sparks flew as Bewear’s claws slashed the barrier again and again and again, but it was useless. It couldn’t shatter the barrier. It couldn’t land any of its damage onto Aegislash!

“How about that!” said Emil. “What you’re witnessing is the power of King’s Shield… the shield of kings! Nothing you do can ever break through it!”

“But that’s not all to it, is there?” Otabek added. “King’s Shield also has a secondary effect – upon _direct contact_ , the Pokémon whose move has been blocked will have its Attack lowered by _two_ stages! Think before you leap, Yuri!”

_So I guess Physical moves pretty much suck against this thing, huh?_ “Come on back Bewear, you did great out there. Go, Incineroar!”

And Yuri’s trusty starter entered the battlefield in a shower of flames, damaged by Stealth Rock a little, but still fit as a fiddle. The Fire typing to counter Steel. The Dark typing to counter Ghost. It was Aegislash’s antithesis in every way!

“Aegislash, Sacred Sword!”

“Incineroar, Fire Blast!”

The two Pokémon started charging towards each other… but Aegislash seemed to have the upper hand! Before Incineroar could unleash its attack, Aegislash was already mere inches away from its face –

… and then it happened. Aegislash let go of its right hand from its shield and shifted the shield to its left side, revealing its actual body to be a gold-and-silver _sword_ with a pointed tip –   

It swung itself at Incineroar, leaving a deep, bloody gash across its chest, taking it all the way to a third of its health! “Incineroar!” gasped Yuri. “Are you okay?”

“ _Mrrrr…_ ” Fortunately for him, his partner was _more_ than okay – it was fuming mad! The fires that made up its belt burned wilder than ever, launching a star-shaped blast made of white-hot flames straight at its opponent…  

… which were negated by another King’s Shield. Aegislash had resumed its original stance, with its glowing shield concealing its body, both its hands firmly gripped onto it.

That… _wasn’t_ frustrating. That was totally not frustrating at all. “Big deal!” snapped Yuri. “So what if you blocked Incineroar’s attack? Protection moves like King’s Shield don’t work twice in a row! Even if you want to be an absolute coward and hide behind your silly little plate all day, you can’t! So once more, Incineroar! Fire Blast!”

With a growl, Incineroar somersaulted into the air and landed right behind Aegislash, but the Royal Sword Pokémon was quick to respond. Turning its shield towards Incineroar, Aegislash stood firm against the ferocious flames, taking the hurt and heat all in stride.

“You can do it, Incineroar! Don’t give up!”

One after another, the Fire Blast attacks bombarded Aegislash, each blazing more intensely than the one before it. Yet in spite of all that, Aegislash showed no sign of fainting, or collapsing, or even budging from where it was. Once Incineroar showed a split-second of an opening, once it let up its attack a little –

“Now!” ordered Emil. “Sacred Sword!”

In a flash, Aegislash’s blade of a body flung out from behind its shield and hit Incineroar on its head, slamming it all the way to the ground. And just like that, Incineroar was out!

Yuri had no words. This could not be happening. This _should_ not be happening. It was the exact opposite of what was supposed to happen! Incineroar was supposed to be _the_ answer to Aegislash… but then again, it was getting clearer and clearer to Yuri that Aegislash was no ordinary Pokémon itself! A defense strong enough to withstand Incineroar’s STAB super-effective Fire Blast. An offense strong enough to two-hit the all-round bulky Incineroar. _In the same Pokémon!? What is this, a freaking Legendary???_ Whatever it was… it was not an opponent who would give Yuri and his Pokémon an easy time, that was for sure!

“So!” said Emil, “It looks like you just got a taste of Stance Change –  Aegislash’s unique Ability… and its greatest strength! When Aegislash uses a damaging move, it changes to the _Blade Forme_. After King’s Shield is used, it switches to the _Shield Forme_. And depending on the Forme it assumes, Aegislash’s base stats are distributed differently. In Blade Forme, Aegislash has high Attack and Special Attack. And in Shield Forme, Aegislash’s Defense and Special Defense are heightened! How’s that for versatility?”

According to the Pokédex, Aegislash’s Attack and Special Attack in Blade Forme, and its corresponding Defense and Special Defense in Shield Forme, were a flat _150_. That wasn’t just ‘high’; it was ‘ _insanely_ high’, practically _godlike_. The obvious way to defeat Aegislash would be to attack its vulnerable Blade Forme, where its defenses were a pathetic 50 apiece… but it was not like he would even have the chance. Because of Aegislash’s low Speed, it would switch to Blade Forme for the kill only _after_ Yuri’s Pokémon had moved and attacked its tanky Shield Forme. Then, on the next turn, assuming Yuri’s Pokémon hadn’t died yet, a priority King’s Shield would protect Aegislash from any incoming damage and change it back to Shield Forme again. Lather, rinse, repeat. How the hell was Yuri going to break this cycle?

“In the old days, Aegislash was a favorite among rulers and kings, who used their abilities to manipulate and control the hearts of their subjects,” said Emil. “But above that, Aegislash acted as their bodyguards, serving as their sword and shield. It’s not hard to see why, huh, Yuri?”

“Yeah. But here’s the thing – kings don’t exist anymore in this region, do they? At least, not the royal kind.” Yuri tossed out his next Poké Ball, and out popped Meowstic, Espurr’s evolution, a lithe feline Pokémon with deep green eyes, dark navy-blue fur and white stripes on its ears and bushy tail.

“Aegislash, King’s Shield!” commanded Emil.

“I knew you’re going to do that,” said Yuri. It was the most logical play for his opponent after all; not only would it allow the switch back to Shield Forme for the extra boost in Aegislash’s defensive stats, it also allowed Emil to safely scout out Meowstic’s moves and strategies at the same time. Which meant… “Meowstic! Calm Mind!”

“Smart move, Yuri!” remarked Otabek. “That’s the way you deal with Aegislash! By using a status move at a King’s Shield prediction, you made Aegislash waste a turn by defending against nothing. And with this Special Attack powerup, Meowstic might be just strong enough to lay some serious damage onto Aegislash, even with the latter in Shield Forme!”

“Shadow Ball, Meowstic!” yelled Yuri.

And the Constraint Pokémon sprang into action! Its fur bristled, and its ears began to unfurl, exposing two emerald green, almond-shaped organs that all but resembled a pair of staring eyes. _That’s where the bulk of Meowstic’s power comes from!_ The organs glowed brighter and brighter, as Meowstic conjured a dense, purple ball of darkness between its paws. With a wave of its hands, it sent the ball flying at Aegislash –

– who disappeared back into its Ultra Ball before the attack could hit it! “Aegislash, switch out, come back!” said Emil. “Go Aggron!”

The Shadow Ball struck Aggron squarely in the chest, taking it down to a little less than half health. That gave Emil’s the opening to revitalize Aegislash with a Hyper Potion… but unfortunately for him, it also allowed Meowstic to take care of Aggron once and for all with a second Shadow Ball. “Now we’re even!” grinned Emil, not in the least anxious. “One down on each side! But if you think I’m going to let things stay this way… then you’ve got another thing coming! Go, Scizor! X-Scissor!”

The Gym Leader’s third fighter was a metallic, red insectoid Pokémon with pincers for hands. Its arms crossed in front of its face and its wings buzzing a million beats a second, Scizor dashed towards Meowstic like a jet plane, picking up speed, gaining power…

… until it crashed head-first into a yellow force field, throwing it off its groove entirely! _Meowstic’s Reflect!_

The Pincer Pokémon did not give up, though. Somehow or other, it still managed to land an attack onto Meowstic – just that it was weak, a mere fraction of the original X-Scissor’s intended damage. As a result, Meowstic was able to live to see the light of another turn… where it would instantly die to another X-Scissor if Yuri so chose not to do anything about it. Psychic versus Bug… this was not a good matchup at all. There was only one attacking type that could deal super-effective damage to Scizor, and that was Fire… the type of Yuri’s fainted Incineroar!

_Not for long though!_ Not when the answer lay in a simple Max Revive! Of course, that gave Scizor the chance to deal the finishing blow onto Meowstic, but it was a sacrifice Yuri was willing to make!

“You did great, Meowstic,” said Yuri, recalling his fainted fighter back to its Poké Ball. “Now it’s your turn, Incineroar! Go, Fire Blast!!”

“Scizor, X-Scissor!” said Emil.

The moment Incineroar re-entered the battlefield, it was met with a flurry of rocks and slashes, but the Heel Pokémon brushed them off like they were nothing. A single Fire Blast from its belt, and Scizor was roasted, melted, dead! And all of a sudden, Emil had only two Pokémon left!

Yuri knew better than to be complacent though. He might have the upper hand for now… but the threat of Aegislash still lurked around, a threat that might potentially cause a team wipe if he wasn’t careful… and that was what exactly who Emil chose to replace Scizor with! Aegislash entered the battle in Shield Forme refreshed and renewed, its shield and blade shinier and more lustrous than before, looking not the least bit afraid of its opponent.

What was it going to be? A King’s Shield? Or… would that be too obvious a move? After all, Emil _did_ see how Yuri held off his attack in favor of Calm Mind during the previous run-in with Meowstic…

_So… if we’re assuming that Aegislash’s looking to get a free attack in onto Incineroar this turn, then…_ “Incineroar, Fire Blast!” Even if the opponents were to go for a King’s Shield, Incineroar wouldn’t be anywhere near Aegislash during its attack. There would be no contact, and hence no Attack drop – hell, an Attack drop wouldn’t matter, as far as Fire Blast was concerned. It was still a safe play no matter what Emil decided to do on his end!

“Hurry, Aegislash!” said Emil. “Dodge and use Sacred Sword!”

With its spectral powers, Aegislash lifted itself into the air and tumbled away from the flames, positioning itself directly above Incineroar. Switching into Blade Forme, it dove downwards, point first like a dagger, shattered the Reflect barrier like it was nothing, and stabbed Incineroar straight in the back!

“No! Incineroar!” Yuri cried out. “Take a Hyper Potion, now!” He could have sworn that heart had almost jumped out of his chest. How could it have not, in that scenario? Had it not been for Reflect to mitigate the damage, Incineroar could have very well been dead. And to make matters worse, that particular turn was also Reflect’s last on the field. As of this very moment, his teammates were all going receive the full brunt of Aegislash’s formidable offense!

The Gym Leader followed with a King’s Shield from Aegislash, switching it back to Shield Forme. It blocked nothing, since Incineroar was too busy healing up to attack… _and now is our chance!_ “Flare Blitz, Incineroar!” shouted Yuri, and at once, his partner bolted towards Aegislash, engulfing the battlefield in an inferno of blue flames. It was a Physical Fire-type move with a higher base power than Fire Blast, based off Incineroar’s much higher Attack stat… a move that wasn’t going to miss under normal circumstances! _If this isn’t killing Aegislash, I swear –_

… It did not kill Aegislash. It brought it to critical health though, and left it blackened and charred in more places than not, but it most certainly did not kill!

“Oh, screw you, Aegislash! Screw you and your tankiness – and your damage, and your guessing games, and your – arghhhh – everything!!!”

“Chill, Yuri,” came Otabek’s voice from the spectators’ booth.

_A deep breath._ “… Right.”

“Too bad, my friend!” said Emil, giving Aegislash a friendly high-five. “This is what Aegislash does! If you want my Badge, you’ve got to find a way to deal with it!”

“Oh, you bet your ass I’ll find a way, alright!” said Yuri. “I know I will!”

“Then try this on for size! Aegislash, Sacred Sword!”

Once again, Aegislash came flying at Incineroar, but this time, the Heel Pokémon was ready. It caught Aegislash by its hilt before it could do anything else… and that was when Aegislash extended its right hand and wrapped it around and around Incineroar’s neck like a thick cloth, strangling it, choking it out of its oxygen. With Incineroar in agonizing pain; with Incineroar’s grip on it loosened, Aegislash pulled back and thrust itself heavily into Incineroar’s chest, spurting blood everywhere.

Yuri’s stomach was churning, but there was no time to lose. Immediately, he fished his bag for a Hyper Potion and sprayed it onto Incineroar, closing up all the horrible wounds Aegislash inflicted onto it. Aegislash took the opportunity to switch back to its Shield Forme with King’s Shield, and a Hyper Potion from Emil topped it back up to full in an instant.

Now they were back to square one. “I see how it is,” muttered Yuri, cracking a smile. “If pure type matchups aren’t going to work… Come on back, Incineroar, you did great out there! Go, Luxray!”

And Yuri’s fourth and final fighter entered the field, menacing and magnificent. With its Ability Intimidate, Luxray managed to decrease Aegislash’s Attack a notch – in other words, they could look forward to less severe Sacred Sword attacks from here on out!

“Don’t be too just happy yet,” said Emil. “Remember – Blade Forme Aegislash has a base stat of 150 in both Attack _and_ Special Attack. Even if you managed to cripple its Attack, it’s still fully capable of outputting tons of Special damage! Shadow Ball!”

“Hurry, Luxray, Crunch!” yelled Yuri.

With a mighty roar, Luxray pounced onto Aegislash and chomped down onto its shield… which shone a deep purple, unleashing a barrage of dark energy orbs onto Luxray, obliterating two thirds of its health in an instant.

“You should’ve seen this coming!” said Emil. “Now, Aegislash! King’s Shield!”

“Luxray, Thunder Wave!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Luxray sent out a bundle of yellow sparks from its eyes. They collided into King’s Shield’s invisible barrier… went _through_ it… and landed directly onto Aegislash, sending shocks all around its entire body! “Yes!” cheered Yuri. “Great job, Luxray! Aegislash is now Paralyzed. You won’t be able to change its Formes that easily!” Like Protect, King’s Shield would not work against status conditions. This made Burn and Poison very viable ways to inflict some damage over time to Aegislash, with Freeze, Paralysis and Sleep to mess up its momentum big time!

“Damn, you really cornered us there!” winced Emil. “Alright then, come back, Aegislash! Go, Klingklang!”

The Gym Leader’s last Pokémon resembled a set of interlocking, rotating gears, surrounded by a spiked ring. Luxray went in for a Crunch, but all it got was a jawful of metal… _hard_ metal, the kind that probably did more damage to its teeth than Klinklang’s health! “Shift Gear!” ordered Emil, and Klinklang’s gears began spinning at top speed, its spiked ring glowing an intense bright white.

“That’s a two-stage increase in Speed, with an additional stage in Attack!” commented Otabek. “Emil’s getting ready for the sweep!”

“Not if I can help it!” said Yuri. “Luxray, Thunder Wave!”

“That isn’t going to change anything!” said Emil. “Even with Paralysis, Shift Gear’s Speed boost has already ensured that my Klinklang’s going to outspeed your Luxray! Return!”

Its Gears spinning faster than ever, Klinklang tackled Luxray with all its might, and it was over for the Gleam Eyes Pokémon. Yuri immediately replaced it with Bewear, who was still low from Aggron’s Reversal… so Yuri did the obvious thing and healed it up with a Hyper Potion. Klinklang followed with its signature Gear Grind, rapidly shooting out two of its gears at Bewear like whirling frisbees, but to Yuri’s delight, Bewear soaked up the damage just fine!

It was amazing how one accidental, unintended capture could lead to such a huge spike in his team’s overall strength. Stufful had done well in the Leontine City Underground Tournament, but evolving to Bewear brought it to a different level altogether. It was definitely shaping up to be a powerhouse in its own right! _Klinklang’s not going to pose a problem to either Bewear or Incineroar. Shift Gear or not, those two are aboslutely going to hold their own against it. It’s just Aegislash that’s giving us problems here. Once we finish it, this match’s in the bag for us!_

_And we can definitely finish it! Sure, its Attack might have reverted back to normal, but thanks to Luxray, it’s still Paralyzed! That’s our ticket to victory! Until then, if we get our timings and predictions down, if we make the best decisions at every interval and survive… then we have no need to fear! That’s the story for every battle we had, is it not? That’s the story for every Pokémon we face! Aegislash is no different!_

“Let’s go, Bewear, Superpower!”

“Thought you’d do that!” said Emil. “Klinklang, switch out, come back! Go, Aegislash!”

The Superpower whizzed past Aegislash, but Bewear was quick to switch to a Shadow Claw, taking Aegislash to a quarter of its health. Aegislash returned Bewear’s slashes in the form of a Sacred Sword, and with that, Bewear had a third of its health left. Now, the usual question remained – would Emil order a King’s Shield, or an attack? Or would he subvert all expectations and heal Aegislash with a Hyper Potion? Whichever the case, a switch to the full-health Incineroar wouldn’t go wrong no matter what, so that was what he did. Aegislash responded with a Sacred Sword, but Incineroar survived it by the skin of its teeth, just like how it had survived all Aegislash’s other previous attacks.

“Now, Incineroar, Fire Blast!”

Sadly for Yuri, the attack was met with a King’s Shield; a bummer, but it didn’t set them back whatsoever, and Yuri was free to attack next turn. A Fire Blast took Aegislash down to critical, but Aegislash’s counter Sacred Sword was more than enough to put Incineroar out of commission. It went just about the same way as what had happened the last time the two of them clashed… but unlike the last time, Yuri was not the least worried, or upset. Unlike the last time, he had no reason to be!

“Aegislash, King’s Shield!” said Emil…

… but Aegislash didn’t budge an inch! Squealing and struggling, it tried nudging its shield in front of its body, but nothing was working. Its arms couldn’t move at all!

“No!” gasped Emil. “It can’t be! Not now!”

“Yes!” shouted Yuri, the widest of grins on his face. Finally, at long last – it was about time the Paralysis kicked in! “Go, Bewear, Shadow Claw!” One single swipe was all it took to puncture through Aegislash’s feeble blade of a body, the black claw marks still fully visible as it crashed to the floor. The Gym Leader was stunned.

“So, what’s it going to be?” taunted Yuri. “Klinklang? You know how this is going to end.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” shrugged Emil, laughing resignedly. “Well then, I guess congrats are in order! Here you go, Yuri! You’ve just earned yourself an Endurance Badge.”


	40. This Is Getting Out Of Hand! (Part I)

The Endurance Badge rested in its rightful place in Yuri’s Badge case, a glistening titanium gray under the rays of the evening sun. _That’s number six,_ thought the blonde Trainer, happiness bubbling in his veins. _Two more and the Pokémon League’s mine for the taking!_

“So, I guess this is where we part!” said Emil. “Feel free to hit me up for a rematch someday, alright? But if you’re looking to add another Badge to your collection… why don’t you try out the Gym in Molineux Town? The Leader’s a friend of mine. I guarantee you’ll have a _bewitching_ time there!”

“Alright!” nodded Yuri. “I’ll take your word for it!” Molineux Town… that was located in the east of Ibara, on the other side of Mt. Hermosa. Getting there would require a whole bunch of travelling, from one end of the region to the other essentially, but did he give a damn? Not one bit! If there was a challenge to be had, he would even go to the deepest reaches of Ultra Space for it. If there was a challenge to be had, distance was hardly a barrier!

“Before we go, though…” Otabek piped up. “There’s something I’d like to ask Emil.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“It’s about Aegislash. You mentioned during the battle that Aegislash was used by kings to influence the minds of others. I was wondering if you could elaborate on that.”

Yuri’s eyes widened. “Hey! Isn’t that… isn’t that brainwashing? It’s totally brainwashing, isn’t it?”

“Exactly,” nodded Otabek. “I don’t know if you’ve already been informed, Emil, but that’s how Crimson Society has been recruiting new members all this while. And Yuri and I… we were tasked by Champion Victor and Elite Four Yuuri to find out more about this. So if you could tell us how Aegislash affected those subjects in the past, and what sort of moves they used on them, we’d really appreciate it.”

\---

 

It was… _trying_ , getting the information they needed out of Emil. Not because the Gym Leader was hesitant to share or anything of that sort; rather, it was the exact opposite – there was just too much he had to say. Political struggles, power clashes, betrayals and schemes repeated ad nauseum… as much as Yuri understood the importance of establishing a context and setting a backdrop for these historical events, it was just too easy for practically _anyone_ to lose track of what was happening. Many times, the blonde boy found his mind drifting away, to a completely different realm where _he_ were king instead, to the top of the Pokémon League where he and his unbeatable Pokémon would one day stand… only to crash back to the present and realize that Emil had moved on to a completely different topic from before, filled with unfamiliar names and places he would have understood had he paid attention… but he didn’t. It was incredible, really, how the Gym Leader could stuff all this knowledge in that brain of his. For someone whose city was the definition of forward-looking, that guy sure had a fervent interest in the days of old… but then again, when it came down to it, weren’t all successful futures built upon the lessons of the past in the first place?

“Alright, let me see if I’m getting the gist of it,” said Otabek. “While there have been many records of Pokémon like Aegislash being involved in brainwashing schemes, the effects of the moves they purportedly used were decidedly _not_ long-term. Confuse Ray, Hypnosis, Imprison… those have been tried and tested to return the target to normal after a couple of hours. However, it is also known that kings reigned for much, much longer than that; their ideologies persisting through decades, even centuries, even after they were overthrown and their position replaced by another. For any Pokémon, no matter how well-trained they are, to keep their grasp on their victims’ minds for that long a period of time… is almost impossible. Which is why the consensus among researchers is that… those kings didn’t rely on their Pokémon’s power alone.”

“Right!” said Emil. “There was definitely something else to it. As to what… have you guys seen the movie _Ghost Eraser_? It was all the rage when I was little.”

“You mean the one where a couple of guys get possessed by Ghost-types, but it turns out to be some green genie thing?” said Yuri.

“Yup! That’s the one!” Emil gushed.

“That’s a movie?” frowned Otabek. “It sounds like a terrible concept.”

“It is,” said Yuri. “But as a kid, you’d think that it’s the best shit ever, until – wait, you don’t know about _Ghost Eraser_???”

“No…” Otabek said slowly. “Is there anything wrong with that?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Brycen-Man as well –”

“Is he… a character from _Ghost Eraser_?”

… Yuri did not know whether to laugh or cry at this revelation.

“Well, he’s not,” winced Emil, “but that’s not important! What I wanted to illustrate is the core difference between the movie and what really happened in history. You see, in _Ghost Eraser_ , the Ghost-type Pokémon control the humans like literal puppets. It’s plain obvious that the victims' minds have been completely shut down, that every movement in their bodies are driven entirely by the Pokémon. When they speak… we know that it’s the Pokémon speaking through their mouths and not the hosts themselves; they have absolutely no awareness of what is going on, no _free will_ of their own, so to speak. Yet, in real life, it’s the complete opposite. According to the records, those so-called ‘mind-controlled’ subjects actually retained their own mind. They still had full autonomy over their actions – their own personalities, their own memories, their own independent thoughts and feelings… just with an additional belief in their head – what the kings wanted them to believe. In a sense, they’re still _them_ …”

“… but they’re not _really_ ‘them’, are they?” Yuri pointed out. “I mean, Crimson Society’s beliefs turned all those people _evil_. I highly doubt they were like that before they got brainwashed.”

Otabek wrapped his hand around his chin. “So instead of a Pokémon, or some sort of device… the members are being controlled by an _idea_.”

“Yeah, you can say that!” said Emil. “We can liken this to planting a seed in the subject’s mind. Over time, with constant nourishment, the seed anchors itself, develops and stays there; it consumes and overwhelms the subject’s mind, and the new belief becomes a part of the person. It would’ve come as naturally to him as breathing, as the belief that one plus one equals to two, that Fire beats Grass and loses to Water. Or… to put it in another way, the _person_ becomes the _belief_ , for he has already adopted it as a part of his ‘self’. He molds his entire identity around it. It’s a belief that sticks, even without a Pokémon’s power!”

“Then, the role of those Pokémon…”

“Their role was to temporarily hijack the cognitive capabilities of the target with their moves. They make the target’s mind more susceptible to suggestion, more willing to accept a new philosophy as it came. Like tilling the soil in preparation for the seed.”

“So, if we link this to what Crimson Society were planning to do to you, Yuri,” said Otabek, “then my guess is that Hypno and Lapras were the ‘tilling’ part. The ‘seed’ would be the video they were going to play to you.”

“That’s what I was thinking too!” said Yuri. “But if this is really how they’re doing it, then… does that mean that the victims can’t be cured at all!?” If that ‘seed’ had long grown into a fully-fledged ‘tree’, with a trunk so sturdy and roots deep, deep into the soil… how the hell were they going to rip it out? Surely, the solution _wouldn’t_ be as easy as defeating the Pokémon who had kicked off the brainwashing process in the first place, would it? That had worked in _Ghost Erasers_ , but in this current scenario…

“Well, according to our researchers, the key to undoing the brainwashing is to induce what we call a ‘paradigm shift’,” said Emil. “A radical overhaul in a person’s fundamental beliefs. Something that snaps them out of it, something that crushes the implanted idea and reverts their brains back to normal. Something that changes their minds. _How_ exactly it could happen though… well, there were many theories, but the truth is, no one could really say for sure as of now. Yet… it is written throughout history… that it _did_ happen. Subjects who were brainwashed did _not_ stay brainwashed forever, somehow. Uprisings, revolts, shifts in power, all those proved that there was a _rejection_ , of sorts, of their current status quo.”

_But… when Crimson Society is concerned?_ When all their members had gone so far off the deep end? If their worship of their Leader was one so out of touch with the reality of his nature… if they were so adamant that the warped ‘truth’ they were force-fed was a true reflection of this world… if nothing Yuri had said to them could even begin to pierce through their thick skulls… then what else could change their minds? Could _anything_ even change their minds at this juncture? Were these Grunts truly beyond saving?

_Surely… surely… there has to be a way…_

“Well, Yuri?” said Otabek. “I think we got what we came here for, didn’t we? As for the lecture…”

“Oh?” said Emil quizzically. “You mean the one two days from now? Are you guys interested in the mechanisms of Pokémon evolution as well?”

“Yeah…” Yuri blurted out, before he was even aware of what was coming out of his mouth.

“Really? That’s great! I’ll be attending it as well, so… why don’t we go together? I’ll grab a couple of VIP seats for you guys – perks of being a Gym Leader, I know! They’re in the front row, so you guys can get the best view –”

“That’s alright, Emil,” Otabek interjected. “We can settle this on our own.”

“Hey, it’s totally fine! Consider this a favor returned for the great battle just now!”

“You took time out of your schedule to answer my question about Aegislash in good detail. I think that’s more than enough.”

“Okay, if you say so!” winked Emil. “But I bet you’ll change your mind once you see what those seats are like! See you in two days, and remember – don’t be late!” And with a wave, he went back into his Gym.

…

“Damn it, Otabek!” fumed Yuri. “Why did you have to mention the lecture in front of Emil?”

“Hey, you were the one who told him you were interested in it,” said Otabek. “You could’ve said no and we’ll still be fine.”

“Well gee, sorry for panicking, I guess! Because that conversation totally didn’t come out of nowhere at all!” The blonde boy heaved a sigh. “In any case, it doesn’t matter anymore! Right now, we need to figure out… how in the world are we going to survive on that day?”

\---

 

Turned out, they probably _weren’t_.

One thing that stood out to Yuri, as he and Otabek stepped into the main lecture hall of the Ispahan Laboratories, was just how out of place they were. Everyone else looked _serious_ about studying. Everyone else looked way too formal and proper, in their lab coats and dress shirts and ties… and then there was him, dressed in his usual Trainer garb of hoodie and jeans. _Well, as long as they don’t chase us away,_ he reasoned to himself. As much as he dreaded the lecture, he could not deny that there was still a chance that someone there could possess useful information, information that Emil might not have been aware of. If that were the case, he did not want to miss out on it.

The other thing Yuri noticed was the stark contrast between the regular seats and the VIP seats – whereas the regular seats were made of cheap plastic, the VIP seats were on a whole different level. Spongy cushions, velvety seat covers… and all of a sudden, Emil’s offer sounded awfully enticing. They spotted the Gym Leader in the middle of the row, and with quick glances at each other, joined him and took the seats beside him, much to his delight. Indeed, those chairs were the comfiest things ever, and Yuri could totally just sink into them and doze off –

_Holy shit. I’ve made a huge mistake._

That was the last thing he needed to do at a time like this! If someone were to catch him, and kick him out of the room because of that… then all their plans would be for naught, wouldn’t they?

Before long, the rest of the attendees started streaming in, and the event finally began. First up was a welcome address by some bigshot Head Professor of Ispahan Laboratories – a dreary, monotonous speech about Kalos technology and how researchers from both regions could learn so much from each other… at this point, Yuri could only hope with all his heart that the rest of the lecture was going to be somewhat exciting, or at the very least, comprehensible, _but like that’s even possible –_

“Eeeeeeeeeeek!”

Yuri shot up straight from his seat. _What was that?!!_

Everyone turned their heads at once towards the source of the scream – a trembling young Scientist in a neatly buttoned lab coat, her face pale as death. “L-look above you!”

There, on the ceiling, were twelve craggy, pink shells, all clustered together, with red cylindrical spikes sticking out in all directions. One by one, they floated down and positioned themselves around the perimeter of the lecture hall, and that was when Yuri realized that they were Forretress!

The whole hall exploded with murmurs.

“What the – what’s happening?”

“How did these Pokémon get in?”

“Is this a prank? Casey, was that you?”

“No way, I swear!”

“Calm down, everyone!” said Emil. He was standing up now, an Ultra Ball grasped firmly in his hand. “We’re going to be taking these Forretress out of here and looking into this situation pronto. I assure you, we have this all under control. Go –”

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Another voice, amplified by a microphone – _the stage!!_ Standing right in the middle, at the center of the spotlight, was a single Crimson Society Grunt, a Noctowl perched on his shoulder, his elbow locked tightly around the Head Professor’s neck! Yuri’s throat ran dry.

“One wrong move and this old fart gets a Steel Wing to the jugular,” chortled the Grunt. “One _wronger_ move, and it’s so long and good riddance to everyone in this room! I’m sure you guys are smart enough to figure out what happens when a dozen Forretress use Explosion at the same time, am I right? So do yourselves a favor, sit nice and good where you are right now, and don’t move a muscle. Oh, and shut your mouths while you’re at it.”

Yuri was pulling the fabric of his seat with such a death grip that if chairs could speak, it would probably be shrieking even louder than that lady Scientist did just now. How did it come to this? When he wanted some excitement in the lecture… he didn’t mean this! He didn’t mean this at all!

Beside him, Emil had placed his Ultra Ball back into his pocket. With both his hands raised into the air, he stepped forward slowly, cautiously, seeming not the least rattled at the bind they were in right now. “Alright, what do you want? If you’re putting in _this_ much effort into this whole setup, surely you must have an objective in mind. Tell us what it is, and we _might_ give it to you. In exchange, I want you to let everyone in this lecture hall go.”

“What I want?” said the Grunt. “Why, I’m glad you asked! It’s simple, really. I want you guys to play a little video of ours. How about that? Watch our video, and you guys can leave with your heads intact! Pretty good deal, right?”

“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad…” piped up a brave attendee.

“Hold on!” said Emil. He shot a glance at Yuri and Otabek. “This video of theirs… don’t tell me –”

“Yup!” exclaimed Yuri. “No doubt about it! That’s the one they use to brainwash innocent victims into joining their no-good cause! Like hell we would agree to that!”

“Silence!” the Grunt lashed out at him. “What ignorance! Do you even know what you’re saying? Do you even know _what_ you’re accusing, you insolent punk? Who are you? Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Yuri Plisetsky.”

The blonde Trainer stood up and stepped forward, his eyes burning with fire.

“… So it’s you,” said the Grunt. His voice was colder now, more callous, less mocking. “Of course it’s you. I should’ve recognized you by your wannabe-edgy getup! Here’s an idea. You versus me, right here, on this stage. If you win, I’ll release these guys like you wanted. If you lose, you’ll play my video! What do you say?”

Yuri almost could not believe what he was hearing. That sounded… very easy. Way too easy. _Weirdly_ easy, for an organization like Crimson Society, who was never one known for mercy, who _knew_ full well what would happen when he and anything associated with them get put together in the same room… who knew _exactly_ the kind of Trainer he was! And yet… for this Grunt – a mere Grunt – to challenge him so brazenly when he had already possessed the high ground… wasn’t that the dumbest and most unnecessary thing ever? What even was the point of doing that? Was he just that confident in his battling abilities, or…?

“Fine. I accept!” The blonde boy could not think of a reason not to, at least, not at this current moment.

“If you’re battling him, you’re battling me too,” declared Otabek, getting up from his seat. “I don’t know about you, Yuri, but I have a feeling that there’s more to this than meets the eye. I’m not taking any chances.”

“Hey, count me in!” Emil chimed in. “Let’s see you try to get away with messing up our event, Crimson Society!”

“Three against one?” said the Grunt. “Now that’s not fair. Tell you what – let’s make this a good old _Rotation Battle_.”

\---

 

The mechanics of a Rotation Battle were a little different from the other battle modes. Though each side was required to send out three Pokémon onto the field, only one Pokémon would be active at a time. This Pokémon would be doing all the frontline work – attacking its opponent, and taking the hits in return – and that was where the aspect of rotation would come into play. Before each turn, Trainers had a choice to rotate out the active Pokémon to one of the other two, giving rise to a whole slew of flexible strategies and team building options. It sounded pretty complicated, but Yuri figured he would get the hang of things as he went along. Plus, he had Otabek and Emil on his side. With the three of them, there was simply no question of coming out ahead!

“Go – Chansey, Alomomola, Gourgeist!” shouted the Grunt.

“Go, Incineroar!” shouted Yuri.

“Go, Tentacruel!” shouted Otabek.

“Go, Ferrothorn!” shouted Emil.

At once, the Pokémon got into formation. Incineroar stood front and center, while Tentacruel and Ferrothorn hung back on its right and left respectively, ready to be rotated into action once their Trainers give the command. On the opponent’s side, Chansey took its place on the frontline, the egg in the pouch on its belly replaced by an Eviolite.

_Incineroar versus Chansey… not a bad matchup!_ If there was anything any good Trainer should know about that round, pink ball of a Pokémon, it was that in spite of its gargantuan HP and Special Defense, its Defense stats were beyond pathetic – which meant that the best way to take it down was none other than to go all out on Attack! A single Flare Blitz from Incineroar would mean instant death for the Chansey, Eviolite or not… and because of that, there was no way the Crimson Society Grunt would let it remain on the frontline for long! He would rotate in Alomomola to soak up the Fire-type move…

_… so we’re rotating as well!_ “Alright, Incineroar, take a breather for now! Emil!”

“Got it, Yuri!” said the Gym Leader. “Ferrothorn, you’re up! Power Whip!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Thorn Pod Pokémon leaped into fray. At the same time, the Grunt called for the rotation of Chansey into Alomomola, just as Yuri had predicted! The heart-shaped Caring Pokémon went for a Wish, rendering it utterly powerless as Ferrothorn slammed down a spiky, metallic vines onto its body - and with that one move, half of its health was instantly deleted! That was the beauty of the Fire-Grass-Water synergy of Incineroar, Ferrothorn and Tentacruel, the classic combo – each one complemented the other two and covered for their weaknesses, both in offense and defense!

“Tch! Think you’re good at this, don't you?” spat the Grunt. “You’re done, Alomomola! Go, Gourgeist! Leech Seed!”

“The Grass-type to protect the Water-type?” said Emil. “How much more obvious can you get?! Rotate out, Ferrothorn!”

“Now Tentacruel,” ordered Otabek. “Sludge Wave!”

The Poison-type attack for the super-effective hit onto Gourgeist and the neutral hit onto Alomomola should the Grunt choose to not rotate… it was a move that worked in their favor no matter what decision their opponent made! As a bonus, Tentacruel’s Poison typing would help neutralize any incoming Grass-type move from Gourgeist, which would otherwise deal super-effective damage had it been a pure Water-type. With the orbs on its head glowing a brilliant red, the Jellyfish Pokémon slid out of the way of the Leech Seed and spewed out a nasty purple jet of liquid from the tips of its tentacles, taking out half of Gourgeist’s hit points… which was unfortunately healed back by Alomomola’s previous Wish.

_Still, we’re doing pretty well,_ thought Yuri. _We can win this._ Everything had been going rather smoothly for them so far. They were landing their attacks on the correct targets, they were predicting the Grunt’s rotations to a T, and their Pokémon hadn’t taken a single bit of damage – _wait, not at all??? That's right… Wish and Leech Seed…_ those were status moves that the Grunt had used, _healing_ moves, moves designed to add an extra layer of tankiness (and annoyance) to all his three of his Pokémon’s inherent bulk. _Did he plan on doing this from the very beginning? Is he going to keep doing this… or is there something else up his sleeve?_

Yuri decided to play it safe for now, paying closer attention to the Grunt’s calls and decisions than ever before – and within the next couple of turns, it became more and more apparent that this healing thing _was_ indeed all the Grunt was trying to do. There was Aqua Ring from Alomomola, Synthesis from Gourgeist, as well as Soft-Boiled and Heal Bell from Chansey, to keep them topped up and status-free at all times. _He doesn’t even want to attack us! He’s prioritizing his Pokémon’s survival above all… and we know full well how that story goes! If you don’t attack, you won’t lose… but you can’t win either!_ And if the Grunt didn’t lose, everyone would still be held hostage here in this lecture hall. If he couldn’t win… he wouldn’t be able to brainwash anyone…

_… then what’s the whole point of this freaking battle? To keep us entertained? To keep us… our attentions… occupied?_

Yuri’s blood froze as he realized what was going on. _Of course._ _Of course!!_ _That’s a stall tactic he’s using against us! He’s stalling for time…_

_… but why???_

On his left, Emil was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. “It’s no use! None of our attacks are making any sort of significant impact! We need a change of strategy!”

“I agree,” said Otabek. “This doesn’t seem right to me one bit. Have you noticed it too, Yuri? Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yeah, I think I am!”

“Tentacruel –”

“Incineroar –”

“H-hey what do you think you’re doing?” interrupted the Grunt. “Only one Pokémon attacks at a time! Are you seriously planning on breaking the rules? Well then, don’t say I didn’t warn you! Noctowl –”

“Tentacruel, Wrap!!!”

“Incineroar, Darkest Lariat!!!”

It all happened in seconds. Tentacruel extended its tentacles and wrapped them all around the Grunt’s hands and the Head Professor; and with an abrupt tug, yanked the Head Professor free from the Grunt’s hold! Meanwhile, Incineroar went straight for Noctowl, pummeling it down from its Trainer’s shoulder with fists strengthened by the power of darkness, fainting it with a critical blow. Needless to say, the Grunt was _livid_!

“Okay, that’s it!!” he roared. “You asked for it! I’m doing it! For the Red Phantom!! Forretress –”

“Oh no, you don’t!” said Emil. “Go, Magnezone!”

Out from Emil’s Ultra Ball popped a gray, saucer-like Pokémon with horseshoe magnets for hands and a tail. And immediately, all twelve Forretress in the lecture hall started flying helplessly towards it, as if they were pulled by an invisible force… _because_ they were pulled by an invisible force – electromagnetic force!

“That’s Magnezone’s Magnet Pull Ability,” the Gym Leader explained. “Your Forretress aren’t moving anytime soon!”

“Damn… you!” The Grunt’s voice was now a strained whimper.

Yuri and Otabek nodded at each other.

“Tentacruel, Scald!”

“Incineroar, Flamethrower!!!”

With their combined attacks, they defeated the Forretress in one fell swoop, eliminating the threat once and for all.


	41. This Is Getting Out Of Hand! (Part II)

Not a single attendee in this lecture hall would have imagined that twelve steel shells crashing onto the ground could sound so damned beautiful.

“Oh my god, we are saved!!”

Wasting not a single millisecond, they scooped up their notes, scrambled out of their seats, and scrammed the hell out of the place. All of them were yelling at the top of their voices. All of them was pushing and shoving, and shoving and pushing, with nothing but the exit in sight. It was complete pandemonium, through and through!

“Everyone, don’t panic!” shouted Emil into the stage microphone, the only way he could be heard over this crazy commotion. “I repeat, do _not_ panic! Please follow the green arrow lights on the ground, and proceed to the emergency escape lobby in a calm and orderly fashion!”

“I think… it might be far too late for that,” said Otabek.

“Yeah, this isn’t going to end well, is it? ” frowned Emil. “Guess I have no choice. Come on, Magnezone!”

The gray Magnet Area Pokémon floated over, and grabbing its yellow antenna, Emil hopped on board. “I’m helping out with the evacuation. I need to ensure the safety of our guests, first and foremost. As for the Crimson Society Grunt…”

“Leave that bastard to us!” said Yuri.

“Thanks! I’m glad I can count on you two! In addition to that… there’s something I want to ask you guys to check out as well. I’ll brief you on the details once things outside calm down a bit.” The Gym Leader pulled out a small, rectangular device from his pocket and tossed it to Yuri. “This right here is a Holo Caster. It’s an on-the-go holographic projector that comes with a call function. Let’s keep in touch, alright?”

And with a nifty Magnet Rise, he and Magnezone cruised above the frenetic crowd and out of the hall. At the same time, on the stage, Incineroar and Tentacruel had made quick work out of the Crimson Society Grunt and the remnants of his team. Now that the restrictions of the Rotation Battle had been thrown out of the window, disposing of him was like taking candy from a Magby. It was hard to believe that just ten minutes ago, this pitiable excuse of a Trainer was seen as such a menace to them all.

“Hey, screwhead!” demanded Yuri. “Answer me! What's with this whole ‘stalling’ thing you’re doing? What lame-ass shit are you looking to pull this time?”

“Come on. Do you seriously think I’ll tell you everything, just because you defeated me?”

“Do you seriously think you won’t?” said Otabek. “Look at you. Look at your Pokémon. What can you do now? If you aren’t spilling the beans… what makes you think we won’t _make_ you?”

The Grunt let out a low snicker. “Well, well. You fools sure sound awfully confident, for people who clearly have no idea what’s about to hit them.”

“What are you –”

“Behind you.”

Without missing a beat, Yuri and Otabek swung round. What awaited them was…

_… nothing!???_

When they turned back, the Grunt and his Pokémon were nowhere to be seen!

“Shit!!” cried Yuri. “How the hell did we fall for that cheap trick!?”

“I guess it happens to even the best of us,” said Otabek. “That’s classic misdirection he used there. You create a false expectation in the enemies’ minds, get them to divert all their focus to said expectation, and before they can figure out what’s going on, make your move.”

Yuri’s jaw dropped as he connected the dots. “So if we apply this to our current situation… that means that the Forretress… the brainwashing threat… the Rotation Battle… those were just there to distract us… to waste our time! Once we’re stuck here in this room, Crimson Society more or less removed us from the _real_ action that’s most likely happening somewhere else… and made sure that nothing could hinder their stupid schemes!”

“Exactly,” said Otabek. “Which is why I have a feeling that the Grunt isn’t alone in this. There has to be more of them around here.”

“Well, too bad for them, we figured them out pretty quickly, didn’t we! It’s still not too late for us to put a stop to… whatever the hell they’re trying to do!” Yuri knew they should be acting fast, but as long as that crucial question mark remained, they couldn’t do a thing. After all, when it came to Crimson Society, jumping the gun was never a good idea.

_Although… if it’s labs we’re talking about… labs… data… research…_

At that moment, a shrill beeping sound came from the Holo Caster, putting an abrupt halt to his train of thought. “Yuri! Otabek!” came Emil’s voice on the other end. “How are things on your side?”

“Not good! We managed to defeat the Grunt, but he escaped!”

“It’s alright! I doubt he’s going to be an issue from here. What’s more important right now is to investigate the status of the main control room.”

“The main control room?”

“Yup! That’s where you can find the security system for the entire Ispahan Laboratories. I suspect Crimson Society might have broken in and tampered with it. I mean… how else do you explain this? This whole debacle with them should’ve triggered multiple alarms. That battle we had in the lecture hall should’ve put the entire place in emergency mode. And yet, there’s nothing, not even now! Something’s definitely going on.”

“Well, it seems like we have our next step,” said Otabek.

Yuri nodded. “Let’s go then! Emil, show us the way!”

The Holo Caster sounded again, beeping rapidly in quick succession this time, and moments later, a hologram shone out of the screen – a three-dimensional map of the Ispahan Laboratories! “See the green dot on the first floor?” said Emil. “That’s your location right now. I need you guys to go to where the yellow dot is – where the control room is located, on level B1.”

“Got it!”

It was easier said than done, though. Even just by looking at the map, Yuri could tell how vast a complex the place was – ten floors, extending deep beneath the ground, with each floor housing at least thirty laboratories, it could have been a whole other city altogether. But that was far from the only thing Yuri had to be concerned about. The main control room, as Emil explained over the Holo Caster, was not only responsible for detecting intruders and unwanted activity, it also controlled access to all the individual laboratories. This was achieved with the help of a certain technology called ‘biometric authentication’, where each lab could only be unlocked using biological characteristics unique to authorized staff and authorized staff only – like a thumbprint, or the patterns on a retina. “After all, card keys get misplaced or stolen way too easily. This method ensures maximum safety for all our labs and all their top-secret research. However, here’s the thing – if Crimson Society were indeed able to _bypass_ it, just like what they did with our alarms…”

“… then they can walk freely into the labs like no one’s business, _and_ steal their data, even if they don’t have the required biometrics for that!” realized Yuri, horror coursing through his body. “Could that be their actual goal in this place?” It just had to be. It should have been as plain as the nose of his face. They were surrounded by laboratories, for heaven’s sake. Labs… data… research… in the technological center of Ibara, no less… what else could they want but that?

Now, the question was, _what sort of data…_

It did not take long for them to reach their destination.

\---

 

The door to the main control room looked as normal as a door could be. It was closed shut, with no signs of attack or an attempted forced entry – just your everyday, regular, plain, wooden door.

The control panel beside it, however, was a different story. It was flashing an angry fire-engine red… just like all the other control panels beside every single door on this floor.

“Looks like our worst fears have come true,” said Emil. “Those are the biometric access panels I was talking about. Security has been breached.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yuri and Otabek slammed the door open and rushed into the control room. It was a decent-sized place, stacked full of computer terminals and huge display screens… which were all blank.

And there was not a single Crimson Society Grunt in sight!

“What’s going on?” Yuri wondered aloud.

“Something doesn’t add up,” said Otabek, grabbing the Holo Caster from Yuri’s hands. “Emil. I noticed that the main control room uses biometric authentication as well, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” replied the Gym Leader.

“Which means that the only way that an _unauthorized_ Crimson Society member could enter the room is by knocking down the door, or something along those lines, am I right?”

“Yes. That’s what I thought too, initially.”

“But the door is fine. They didn’t manage to do anything to it. Maybe… there wasn’t even anyone here to do anything to it. And yet they managed to compromise your system… without even entering the control room? Is this even possible? I know remote access via hacking is a thing, but given your world-class tech –”

Before Otabek could say anything else, a soft whimper came from below him.

Yuri looked down, and what he saw made his jaw drop to the ground. It was a pile of duck-like Pokémon, ten in total, their polyhedral pink and blue bodies riddled with cuts, gashes and bruises. One look at them and it was crystal clear – that they were inches away from death!

“Those are Porygon!” he exclaimed. “What are they doing here?”

“Porygon!? Oh no! That’s our security!!”

The voice that came out of the Holo Caster was not Emil’s. It sounded like it belonged to an older male.

“Sorry, let me introduce myself. I’m Scientist Casey. I’m the person-in-charge for the main control room.”

“Where’s Emil?” asked Otabek.

“He’s beside me. And… so is everyone else, actually.” Yuri could not help but imagine a bunch of lab coat wearing nerds crowding around a single Holo Caster, waiting anxiously for a hint of an update. It seemed really silly… and that was when it occurred to him – he and Otabek were practically their last lines against Crimson Society right now. He and Otabek were the only way the Ispahan Laboratories could get out of this rut!

“So what you’re saying is that your world-class security… is managed by a bunch of Porygon?”

“That’s right! And it’s precisely because of this bunch of Porygon that our security is world-class! They don’t call them the ‘Virtual Pokémon’ for nothing, you know. Porygon are the masters of cyberspace. They can move freely in cyberspace. It’s their territory. With them on guard, even the best programmers in the world can’t even come close to hacking into our system! Believe me, they actually tried – thousands and thousands of times, in fact! But Porygon always destroyed them all.”

“Then why the hell are your Porygon the ones getting destroyed right now?”

“Obviously, they must have met their match! And the only ones capable of defeating Porygon in their element… are none other than their evolutions, Porygon2 and Porygon-Z!”

Yuri’s eyes widened. “Porygon-Z! I remember one of their Admins having one of those!”

“That must be it, then!” Scientist Casey exclaimed. “Somewhere in the region, who-knows-where, Crimson Society must have ordered Porygon-Z to take down all our Porygon – and take over our system! That way, they wouldn’t _need_ the control room at all!”

“Jeez, Casey, how weak can your Porygon be, huh?” another voice drawled from the Holo Caster. “Sure, Porygon-Z is pretty powerful and all… but how can ten of your guys lose to one of theirs?”

“How, you ask?” Scientist Casey shot back. “The only reason why we lost is because I was trapped in that crazy lecture hall, remember? The Porygon had no choice but to act without my instructions!”

“Not this time, though!” Emil chimed in. “This time, with the help from all of us, we’re going to delete that Porygon-Z once and for all, and save our labs! You two will join in too, won’t you, Yuri, Otabek?”

“Of course,” Otabek replied. “A quick Full Restore and the Porygon will be ready for battle again.”

“Good! Every second counts now. Let’s hope hard that Crimson Society hasn’t gotten their hands on any of the research _before_ we can restore the systems back to normal!”

“They won’t!” declared Yuri. “Not on my watch! While you guys deal with Porygon-Z, I’m going to hunt down those goons one by one, and send them back to where they came from!”

“Wait, Yuri –” began Otabek.

“How on earth are you going to do that?” Emil blurted out. “This place is so big! And our cameras are all offline! How are you going to find them all in time?”

The blonde Trainer threw a Poké Ball into the air and Luxray appeared in a burst of sparks.

“Cameras, you say?” he scoffed, climbing onto his Pokémon’s back. “Who needs cameras when you have this bad boy? They don’t call Luxray the ‘Gleam Eyes Pokémon’ for nothing, you know!”

And they sprinted out of the door in a flash.

\---

 

Its eyes glowing a vivid red, Luxray scampered down flight after flight of stairs, without letting up for even a second to rest or hesitate.

Before long, the arrived at B10F – the bottommost level of the Ispahan Laboratories. That was when Luxray made a sharp left turn, tore down a hallway, made another left turn down another hallway, then skidded to a stop in front of the lab at the very end of it.

Yuri read off the number above the door. “B10-72. Is this it?”

“ _Rrruu_ ,” nodded Luxray.

“… How many of those bastards are we up against, anyway?”

“ _Rrrruuu_.”

_Just one…?_ It made sense then, that Luxray had skipped all the other floors and brought him all the way down here the very first thing. _So… they’re only after the data from this particular lab… and a single person is all they sent to accomplish the job._ That sounded… pretty easy for him and his Pokémon to deal with. _Way too easy._

The warning bells in Yuri’s head were going berserk.

Recalling Luxray into its Poké Ball, Yuri pushed the door open and stepped into the lab – _no, a freaking garden??!!_ There were plants everywhere – leaves… shrubs… bushes… grass, fresh and wild and _alive_ , growing in places where they should _not_ be growing, on every chair and bench, every inch and corner…

_Is this even normal???_ He would ask Emil and the other Scientist guys from the lab (who knew what kind of bizarre shit those guys were experimenting on), but unfortunately, he left the Holo Caster back in the control room with Otabek. With bated breath, he wrapped his fingers around a Poké Ball in his pocket and took another step forward –

“So you managed to show up after all, Yuri Plisetsky.”

It was none other than his enemy – a tall, masked woman with long, wavy red hair, dressed in a short red coat, black leather pants and knee-high boots. “I’m Admin ‘G’. I believe you’re looking for this?”

From beneath her coat, the woman fished out a black memory stick and placed it on the bench beside her. Yuri inhaled sharply. “That’s –”

“What we came here for, of course. And what a hassle it was for us to get it, too. See, the databases for the individual labs are disconnected from the web, which means we have to download the info we want _personally_ , instead of relying entirely on our hacking team to do the job. Which would be fine and all, except… _you_ …”

Yuri wasted no time. “Go, Incineroar!”

“Roserade, Sleep Powder,” commanded Admin ‘G’.

At once, a slender green Pokémon leapt down gracefully from the ceiling and landed beside her. A spritz of green powder from the red and blue roses in its hands, and Incineroar fell asleep immediately!

“Oh, would you look at that. Your strongest Pokémon, out of commission.” The Admin picked up the memory stick, tossed it nonchalantly into the air, and caught it back into her hand. “When my Grunt told me you were part of the lecture, I had a feeling you would make it here, somehow. And I was right. What’s next? Are you going to battle me for this little thing? Are you going to try and stop me?”

“Like you don’t already know the answer to that!” Yuri retorted. “Incineroar, come back! Go, Golisopod!”

“Roserade, that’s enough! Go, Serperior!”

And out of her Ultra Ball emerged a serpentine Pokémon with a penetrating gaze, the leaves on its body giving it a majestic air. Without delay, Golisopod pounced forward, striking it with a First Impression, but Serperior’s Defense was nothing to be laughed at. Surviving the hit with a sliver of health, the Regal Pokémon slithered around and behind Golisopod, and opened its mouth wide –

“Leaf Storm!”

The ensuing tornado that blasted out of Serperior’s mouth was nothing Yuri had ever seen. It whipped fiercely around the whole room, ripping out the leaves from the branches; the grass from their roots, transforming them into thousands and thousands of razor-thin green blades. They struck Golisopod all at once, chipping away at its armor, and the Hard Scale Pokémon had no choice but to pull an Emergency Exit back into its Poké Ball.

A neutral move taking the tanky Golisopod to below half health… it became obvious to Yuri what was going on. All these plants surrounding him, this ‘garden’ he was in… that wasn’t some lab experiment gone wrong, it was Roserade’s Grassy Terrain – a special kind of status move that changed the environment of the battlefield! For five turns, the power of Grass-type moves like Leaf Storm would be increased, and the health of all Pokémon on the ground would be restored by a little after each turn. _To think she had something this prepared for my arrival…_ this Admin sure wasn’t one to mess around! He tossed out his next Poké Ball.

“Go, Luxray! Ice Fa –”

“Serperior, Leaf Storm!”

… and Luxray collapsed on the spot!

“Luxray!!!” Yuri cried out in shock. “This is bullshit! How the hell is this freaking Leaf Storm able to one-hit my Luxray… especially after the Special Attack drop from the first one!?” Even _without_ the Special Attack drop, even with Grassy Terrain in effect, Luxray shouldn’t be falling over so easily like that! The only possible explanation for this was that Serperior’s Special Attack had _increased_ , somehow… and the only way that could happen was –

“Contrary,” said Admin ‘G’, twirling a lock of her hair. “Serperior’s Ability. It makes stat changes have the opposite effect. A powerful move like Leaf Storm would, in normal cases, take a toll on the user and reduce its Special Attack by two stages – this everyone knows. However, with Contrary in play, every Leaf Storm Serperior uses gives it a free plus-two _boost_ to its Special Attack instead. Three times of Leaf Storm…”

_… and Serperior’s Special Attack would be completely maxed out, and the sweeping spree begins!_ How should he deal with this?? Well… Golisopod’s priority First Impression could potentially put a stop to this madness before it could get out of control. But it was also highly likely that Admin ‘G’ would predict that, use the same turn to heal Serperior back to full with a Potion, and respond with a plus-four boosted Leaf Storm to absolutely destroy Golisopod.

Yuri clenched his teeth. _In that case…_ “Go, Meowstic –”

“It’s useless!” shouted the Admin. A snap of her fingers, another Leaf Storm from Serperior, and the Constraint Pokémon was tossed around and blown away like an old cloth puppet, slamming face-first onto the wall behind it. “That’s one more of yours down… and that’s Serperior’s third Leaf Storm! Its Special Attack can’t get any higher than this! Nothing can survive it now!”

“Oh yeah?” yelled Yuri. “I don’t think so! Go, Incineroar!”

“Like I said – nothing can survive, Fire-types included! Serperior, full power, Leaf Storm!”

“Wake up, Incineroar! Flare Blitz!!!”

And in an instant, at the sound of Yuri’s voice, Incineroar blinked its eyes open, shaking itself awake so that its Trainer would not worry! Before Serperior could open its mouth, the red and black Heel Pokémon had already bombarded it with a stream of white-hot flames – and following that, a single hard tackle was all that was needed to faint the Regal Pokémon and cause it to crash straight into Admin ‘G’ herself!

“How can this be!” gasped the Admin. “Serperior’s base 113 Speed… how could an Incineroar outspeed it?”

And then she noticed it – the erratic sparks of electricity on her Pokémon’s body. “Paralyzed…? Don’t tell me… Meowstic’s Prankster!? The priority Thunder Wave to _halve_ Serperior’s Speed… so that Incineroar could finish it next turn!”

Yuri glowered down at her. “Face it – you don’t stand a chance against us! Why don’t you just give up, drop dead, and give me the damned thing you stole already!”

The Admin let out a low chortle and flung the memory stick into Yuri’s hands. “Foolish child. We’ll be back.” And in a beam of white light, she teleported away.

The blonde boy gazed curiously at the memory stick for a couple of seconds, before tucking it safely into his pocket.

“Come on, Incineroar. Let’s get back to the others.”

\---

 

In the main control room of the Ispahan Laboratories, one Trainer stood expectantly at the open door, his eyes never once tearing away from the hallway that stretched ahead of him.

The rest of the room, on the other hand, was a hive of activity. Thanks to everyone’s combined efforts, Scientist Casey’s team of Porygon were able to send Porygon-Z packing from the security servers in no time. One by one, the computers came back to life, and bit by bit, everything Crimson Society messed with began to revert back to their usual, functioning state.

Now, all that was left was to await _his_ return…

“Yo, asshole!”

_… Speak of the devil._ There he was, Yuri Plisetsky, bounding down the hallway atop his Luxray’s back, a triumphant smirk on his face.

Otabek Altin breathed a sigh of relief.

The first thing Yuri did as he entered the room was to march up to Emil and shove the memory stick into his palm. “There! What did I tell you? You’re welcome!”

The Gym Leader’s eyes were wide as saucers. “Yuri, this is –”

“The data Crimson Society stole, what else? I managed to get it back!”

“Yuri…” Emil’s voice was completely drained of energy. “This… this is a 128-megabyte flash drive. An old model from more than fifteen years ago. There’s no way you can fit an entire lab’s worth of research in there…”

…

…

The blonde boy’s hands flew to his hair.

_ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!_

He had barely, _barely_ managed to stop himself from screaming out loud. Which was a good thing, for the barrage of expletives that would most definitely follow said scream would probably get him banned from… literally everything ever. How??? How was he supposed to know?? How was this even fair?? He might have won the battle against Admin ‘G’… but because of her trickery, because of his lack of knowledge in the extremely specific and highly specialized field of ‘the different kinds of memory sticks in the world of memory sticks’ ( _seriously, who in the right mind would even care about stuff like that???_ )… he had lost the _war_!???

Although… now that he had more time to think about it… it probably didn’t matter what kind of memory stick the Admin had given him back then, so long as it made him _complacent_ for the duration they needed to abscond with the real data. _Damn you, Crimson Society! Damn you and your stupid misdirection!!_

“Hey, it’s alright, Trainer!” said an old Scientist, placing an assuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t beat yourselves up over it! You see, when that Grunt showed up on stage… none of us expected to get out of the ordeal unscathed. But because of you and your friend over there… because you two stood up for us and fought for us, the only bad thing that happened to the labs was this data leak. What’s most important is, everyone’s lives are still intact. Our staff and our guests are safe and sound. And for that, from all of us at the Ispahan Laboratories, thank you so much.”

Yuri looked up at the elderly man. “Hey, you’re… you’re the Head Professor, aren’t you? Lab B10-72… do you know what they’re researching on? Why would Crimson Society want their data so badly?”

“Ah, about that,” said the Head Professor, clearing his throat. “Well, it’s highly confidential information, but I suppose I can tell you guys, given the situation we’re in. You see… that lab… specializes in the Legendary Pokémon of the Ibara Region.”

…

That… sure was a revelation and a half.

“It all began five years ago,” the Head Professor continued. “A couple of months after the defeat of the Red Phantom, the Laboratories received a task request from none other than the Pokémon League Association itself – to answer the main questions that have been plaguing everyone’s minds ever since the whole debacle began: just where did the Red Phantom get all his Legendary Pokémon from? Until he came along, there had _never_ been a single confirmed sighting of a Legendary Pokémon in the history of our region. Yes, there were _myths_ , passed down through the ages as children’s fables, as campfire stories… but the problem is, so far, no one has been able to confirm their authenticity. Hence, what we did was assemble a group of Scientists to work on it. After all, technology had made significant leaps and bounds ever since the days of folklore and old storybook tales. If they could trace the existence of Legendary Pokémon in the region, it might provide us with a hint on how the Red Phantom rose to power. And just a few weeks ago… they actually succeeded.”

“No way!” gasped Yuri.

“Oh, yes. For the very first time in history, we managed to pinpoint the location of not one, but _three_ Legendary Pokémon using _aura analysis_ , an established method that has been reported to work in regions like Unova and Kalos. The identities of these Pokémon are still unknown, unfortunately. Still, it’s a huge breakthrough, one that we all are very, very proud of… but there’s still a lot more work to do, and a lot more experiments to conduct, before their findings can be published to the greater scientific community –”

“Forget about that!” Yuri interrupted, every inch of his body buzzing with excitement. “Where are the Pokémon!? That’s what we want to know!”

“Right, I was just getting to that,” said the Head Professor, chuckling heartily. “The three locations are – Philosopher’s Cave, near Molineux Town; Tiamat Valley, in Napoleon City; and last but not least, Ultima Cave, near Kiftsgate City. Of course, there could be more of them. But those were the ones we managed to find so far.”

Yuri folded his arms. “So if Crimson Society’s after this information… does that mean they’re trying to seek out the Legendary Pokémon… and capture them? That’s… what their Leader probably did five years ago.”

“The ritual,” said Otabek. “I have a feeling they’re connected. Something large-scale, something that sets the stage for the Red Phantom’s comeback, something that could prove the Grunts’ worth to the Red Phantom… awakening the Legendary Pokémon definitely checks all the boxes.”

“In other words,” said Emil, “if you’re going to be facing up against Crimson Society again… you’ll be fighting with them _for_ Legendary Pokémon, _against_ Legendary Pokémon. I hope you guys are aware that this is not something to be taken lightly. Legendary Pokémon are on a whole different tier compared to regular Pokémon. I mean, you guys survived five years ago. You guys should know. Back then… all of us Gym Leaders… even the Elite Four… we were completely useless against them. You’re strong, Yuri, but… you need to be extremely careful from here on.”

Yuri’s head was whirling with information. _This is getting out of hand, isn’t it?! How the hell did things escalate so quickly?_ One thing was for certain though – there was no way he was going to let any of the Legendary Pokémon fall into the filthy paws of Crimson Society. No way in hell. No matter how dangerous it would be. _There’s no way I’m letting those bastards get away with anything again._ _Otherwise… my name isn’t Yuri Plisetsky!_

“I’m sending an email to Victor and Yuuri about this,” Otabek said to Yuri. “In the meantime, we should find out as much about the different kinds of Legendary Pokémon as possible. I doubt the Pokédex has much to say them.”

Yuri shook his head. “It doesn’t. We need a library.”

“Ah, the Chrysler Library!” said Emil. “That’s not a bad idea, Yuri! I’m surprised you’d even think of it. I might ask some of my friends from the labs to help you out as well… although I think they might have too much on their plates right now…”

"It's fine," said Yuri. “And those guys… they’ll be fine too, right?”

“Hey, don’t worry!” grinned the Gym Leader. “We’re Ispahan City, the city of progress, remember? We make mistakes, learn from them, and build our future – that’s what we do! We can definitely bounce back from this!”

_So can we,_ thought Yuri, grinning back at him. _So can we…_

_… and so we shall!_


End file.
